Elysion
by Rayless Night
Summary: Which is more difficult, a journey's beginning or its end? They had to say it was the end, and then only once they were certain it was over.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This fic is based on the games __Persona III: FES__ and __Persona IV__. It's a crossover, but centers on the P4 cast and includes spoilers flying in from every direction. It's based on the best endings for both games and takes place in 2016. Also, to make it clear, it's written under the assumption that Souji dated none of the four main girls. Amazing or pathetic? You decide._

_A note on Japanese culture: I am sure I got details wrong. Feel free to let me know. I may or may not change the details depending on how it affects the fic, but I always like to know where I goof up. _

_Disclaimer: The Shin Megami Tensei series is the property of Atlus. Rating is for language, strong violence and suggestive themes. Some content may be disturbing and/or triggering.  
_

* * *

**Elysion**

1.

_3.9.16_

The kid came from the city, Michaels decided as he watched him step off the train, one shoe making a light tap against the pavement. He was overdressed for a casual outing, a blue peacoat over his thin frame, a cap pulled low on his forehead. Crisp black collar and silver tie, pressed black trousers. Platform boots that, with the hat, were probably worn to make him appear taller (kid was barely five feet to begin with). A black cord swung from the right pocket and belt loop, hitting the thigh as he walked. For a kid who was that good at staying hidden, he sure didn't know how to blend in.

Michaels waited, watching as the boy made his way through the outflow from the train into the dirty red-bricked station. The kid didn't move his head from left to right as he searched; the cap's visor hid his eyes. As he drew nearer, Michaels took in the dark hair that fell to the back of his collar, the fine-lined jaws and lips. How old was this brat? Sixteen? Fourteen? Michaels tapped the toe of his boot, then made himself stop.

And he waited until the boy was within twenty yards before breaking into a grin and strolling forward. "Well, Josh, looks like you made it in one piece."

The boy didn't even check his stride, putting on a slight smile. "Hello, Uncle Mark." His voice didn't give Michaels much clue to his age; it was deep enough that his voice had obviously already broken, but...it somehow didn't seem really that deep. He spoke with a British accent and the precise inflection of a non-native English speaker. That was something of a surprise. Suspicious even. One didn't want to find surprises when meeting a contact.

A real uncle might have clapped his nephew on the shoulder, but Michaels decided to forgo that note of authenticity, keeping about two feet between himself and the boy. "Car's this way," he said, leading them under the train station's arch, between walls ragged with old advertisements. "What did you think of the city? How's your mom?"

"The city is intriguing," Josh said smoothly. No one they passed seemed to stop to listen to them, but the kid knew enough to keep up the act, hands in pockets, shoulders angled with relaxation. "And Mother's well, she sends you her love."

"Good, good." Michaels escorted the boy to his small gray sedan, gesturing for him to get his own door. The boy hesitated - or did he just pause to take in the view of the parking lot? - before sliding inside. Michaels didn't speak as he started the car. In the silence, he could hear, just barely, the boy's heartbeat going too fast. Well then. Kid was nervous. Served him right.

This place would be some letdown for a British brat just come from the city. Michaels didn't comment as they drove through the decrepit industrial center. Small townhouses crouched in the shadows of abandoned brick factories, their roofs dingy, small front yards dotted with bright plastic play sets.

"Good trip?" Michaels asked, his voice pitched lower. The only chance of them being overheard was if the kid were bugged, were in fact an enemy plant. Still, it signaled that it was time to drop the pretense.

"I was followed," the boy said flatly, facing forward.

Michaels already knew that, but he showed no sign of it. "How far?"

"At least to the train station. I don't know if they got on when I did."

"What, got distracted? Checking your hair in the mirror?"

No trace of annoyance in the boy's voice, just that smooth recital. "It seemed imprudent to seek them out. It would only draw attention to myself."

Michaels fell into silence, half planning his next move, half trying to think of a jab that would hit home. "Might've tried fitting in better. I don't know how they dress in England, but you look like a girl."

Maybe that jab hit. At least, the boy turned slightly towards him. Glancing, he finally saw the boy's eyes under his visor - long and blue with thick, short lashes.

Michaels cleared his throat. "The information you have better be worth it."

"I confess, this is out of my normal line of work," the kid said softly.

"Hell, I don't want to _know_ what your normal line of work is." He again glanced at the handsome boy, then away.

"If my client were not so insistent, I wouldn't have come at all," the kid went on.

Without preamble, Michaels turned down a narrow street between an empty video rental store and a silent daycare. He pulled into the parking lot behind both buildings. Aside from a rusty minivan, they were alone. Michaels jerked his key out of the ignition, gesturing for the boy to get out. He was quick to oblige.

Michaels snapped his fingers - stopped himself - and took a deep breath. "Okay, kid."

The kid was watching him warily, moving to keep the car between the two of them. "Okay."

"You're here because of the Kirijo bitch."

"Yes. I assumed the same could be said of you." The kid sidestepped around the sedan's bumper. Aside from that, he wasted no movement.

"Yeah, well you just made an ass of yourself, not me."

Uncertainty jumped in the boy's eyes. Ah, had the jab finally hit a nerve?...Or had the prick just not understood the English pun? Damn.

"I take it that you are a plant within the Kirijo Group?" The boy's eyes slid back towards the road, probably looking for an escape.

"Don't try to talk your way out of this. I have no problem with Mitsuru Kirijo. It's you I want to talk about."

The boy's tone shifted; less wary, it was suddenly businesslike, authoritative. "I am very interested in whatever you have to say."

"I know Ms. Kirijo has enemies in the UK. We had a brush with some of them half a year ago."

The boy opened his mouth, then seemed to change his mind and kept quiet.

Heat prickled along the back of Michaels' neck, irritating as a rash. "What?"

"There's been a great deal of turbulence in the Kirijo Group's international branches, particularly the American," the boy said. "I have very little information on you and so must assume you've only recently shouldered this new responsibility." He glanced around the parking lot. "Seeing as you're interrogating people on the same side as you."

"Cut the crap. You don't know anything about me because I don't want people like you to know. You, however, clearly were trained in the UK, and you clearly come from some other country, you're ten years old and -" And then he sighed and gestured dismissively. "Dammit, what am I doing?"

The boy arched his thin eyebrows.

Michaels shook his head and leaned forward, bracing his hands against the hood of the car, looking down into its lusterless surface. And trusting that the kid would be too surprised to try anything. The kid stayed put, watching him. Michaels let the silence build, then sighed more heavily. "C'mon, kid, tell me what I'm doing?" And when the boy didn't answer, Michaels straightened, shoving his hands to his pockets. "I'm grilling Encyclopedia Brown. I tell you, kid, we're going crazy here. Queen Bitch Kirijo changes her plans at a moment's notice, we've been in seven different cities in three months, and half our contacts are stooges when they aren't BSing. And what do I expect from you? C'mon, kid, what's going to be? Some false lead or just half-assed bullshit?"

The boy hadn't moved throughout, eyes narrowed as he processed the flow of English. After a moment, he raised one eyebrow. There was some wariness in his expression, but also - mostly, in fact - contempt.

Michaels narrowed his own eyes, dropping the casual persona that had failed to put the boy at ease and adopting one more suited to his present mood. "Shut the hell up. What information do you have? What's a kid like you doing in this business anyway?"

The boy's wariness shifted to impassivity. "Is my age really germane to this discussion?"

"It's like you're some sort of..." Michaels searched his mind, but he hadn't really been thinking clearly, ever since realizing the "nephew" he'd arranged to meet was a third of his age. "...poser. You with that cabby hat." He laughed. "Let me guess, you're carrying a switchblade. Or nail-clippers. Got a temporary tattoo under that jacket?" He stepped around the car.

To his surprise, the boy didn't move away. "This line of inquiry is entirely useless."

"All I know, kid, is that none of my people could dig anything up on you. Not where you're staying, not where you're from, or who trained you, or who you've worked for. Queen Bitch keeps dossiers on all her trusted employees, which means there's a little problem here. If there's no dossier on you, but you've got some of milady's secrets, I'm thinking there'd better be no information left about you. At all."

He was looking for some fear in the boy's response, but he didn't get it. The boy grimaced. "As I said, this is outside of my customary line of work. I wouldn't be here at all but for -" And he cut off.

"Out of your line of work, right? Is that how you got in with Kirijo? I hadn't pegged you as the type women would go for." The boy half-smiled at that, eyes grim. Michaels didn't like that smile. He had the distinct feeling he was being...lame. "Stop acting tough, bitch. You aren't talking your way out of this, and you sure as hell aren't going back to England. Forget seeing Queen Kirijo. You can drop the pretty accent and the Frankenstein shoes and the chain. I'm not impressed."

Impatience tightened the corners of the boy's eyes, and he glanced down at the black cord on his belt. "It's not a chain. And I see you're here to do nothing but waste my time."

That seemed to be a nerve - half a nerve. "Your watch chain then. Or -" Vaguely, he recalled some old movies he'd seen. "Or it's your monocle? Chip chip cheerio! All you Brits wear 'em?"

The boy drummed his fingers against his right thigh, just above the cord. "You're ridiculous."

Michaels' eyebrows jumped. It was past time to end this. He took a step forward.

Before he'd realized it, the kid had pulled a gun, the black length of the cord dropping from the grip.

And pulled the trigger.

The boy watched Michaels fumble backwards, almost as if he was slipping on ice, before he fell to the cement. The gun had been aimed at his sternum, the bullet lodging inside. The boy flipped the safety and dropped the gun back into his pocket, gazing down at the corpse.

As expected, it did not bleed.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

_3.12.16_

"I'm sorry. " He said it, though he didn't feel particularly sorry; he didn't really care, all things considered. "It's against Junes' policy."

"Rethink your policies." And the cop only paused long enough to shove several papers into his hands before stalking away through the vast parking lot, undoubtedly off to harass some other innocent employee at some other store.

Yosuke Hanamura, Scion of the Most Noble House of Junes (or so Teddie had called him the other night), grimaced and glanced at the papers. Wanted posters. All things considered, he probably had enough influence to obey the cop and plaster several of these across this Junes' glass doors. There was a strong likelihood that his father, far away in Inaba, wouldn't hear about it. And Yosuke couldn't see how it would do any harm, company policy or not. Might make things a little more interesting. But he remembered the way his father had stressed responsibility to him this year at Winter Break, a long lecture of half-praise, half-chastisement. Yosuke had taken it relatively well, though he'd gone upstairs at the first opportunity, called Souji, and demanded, "Why the hell do I have to work at Junes wherever I go?"

"Yosuke, man -"

"I mean - Argh! When we first moved into The Dorm, the closest Junes was an hour away, and Dad still said I had to work there or he wouldn't pay my tuition."

"Yeah, but he _is_ paying your tuition -"

"And I swear he opened up this new branch by the campus just so I wouldn't have any free time this semester."

"You're making more money than I am."

"And Hawaii! When we went to go see Rise's concert, Dad just _happened_ to mention he wanted me to help open that new Junes branch!"

"How else did you buy your motorcycle? We should call it the Junes Bike, because Junes is the only reason you were able to -"

"Two weeks in Hawaii and I spent fourteen hours out of every day teaching people how to zone shelves!"

"...Frog ninja, Yosuke. Frog. Ninja."

And Yosuke had winced, remembering his Shadow from all those years ago, that personification of his many resentments. Souji had beaten the crap out of it, but it still liked to metaphysically drop by and visit Yosuke. Especially after talks with his dad.

And so, remembering both his father's and Souji's lectures, he'd been polite that cold spring afternoon. He was already five minutes late for this afternoon's class, he'd been heading towards the front door, untying his Junes apron no less, and the cop had arrived. With these precious posters. Sighing, Yosuke crammed his apron into his bag, then shoved the posters in after it. His cell rang, and he automatically pulled it out and glanced to see who else wanted a piece of him. The tension in his face relaxed as he put the cell to his ear. "Teacher's not in yet?"

"Nah," came Souji's voice. In the background, he could hear the chatter of other students talking, waiting for the history lecture to start. "If you hurry, you might make it. Did the Junes Bike break down?"

"The Junes Bike did _not_ break down." Yosuke shrugged his bag on, grabbed his helmet under one arm, and walked out the front doors, letting them swoosh closed behind him. "I got held up by a cop. That is, uh, a cop asked me to put up wanted posters in the store. You know, _Be on the lookout for this convicted murderer/rapist/arsonist! Buy some Junes coffee mugs while you're at it!_"

There was short silence. Souji was thinking. Yosuke wondered if he should drop the levity; when Souji took the time to consider, it usually meant something was up. Or he'd zoned out, that could happen too.

"That's kind of odd, isn't it? I mean, wanted posters? How often do you see those?"

"Outside of post offices, train stations and plot devices...not much." The Junes Bike waited, orange metal gleaming. Yeah. The _orange_ Junes Bike. Baby.

"Who's on the poster? Don't tell me it's Teddie..."

"Hey, that wasn't my fault. I don't get people drunk. Teddie gets drunk on his own steam."

"I shouldn't have let him wade in the fountain."

"Dude, you shouldn't have let him go streaking in the first place."

"You're the one who told him about streaking to start with. Anyway, just tell me it's not Teddie."

Yosuke laughed. "If it was Teddie, we could turn him in and get the reward money. Nah, it's..." He slung the bag around, resting it against the motorcycle, using his free hand to rummage out a poster. "Some guy last seen in the Bay Area. Name of...Akihiko Sanada, age twenty five, wanted for murder and resisting arrest. Dude, that's a bad picture." He shoved the poster back in. "Anyway, I'll see you in -"

"Teacher just walked in. You're screwed." That was the best goodbye Yosuke got, because Souji's connection immediately ended.

"Damn." First cops, now this. It was enough to make him kick something. But not the Junes Bike.

* * *

_3.13.16_

Beanbag hadn't learned much in fourteen weeks of life, but he knew he liked mail. Any loose paper was good, but the mail had the advantage of being stacked in the same place every day. Beanbag had learned that once he had managed to scramble onto the old sofa and avoid being swallowed by the gap between the first two cushions, chances were prime he'd meet a neat column of correspondence.

Today was no disappointment. Beanbag cautiously batted at a postcard from Hollywood, California _(I want all of you to come out here and visit me! We can play the King's Game again!)_ but found it was too stiff for his taste. He chewed experimentally on the edge of a thick clothes magazine, then struck gold: a sort of stiff, sort of bendy paper that made the most fascinating _swish_ when he pounced and sent it flying off the sofa. Beanbag leapt after it, front paws landing squarely on his owner's address. With a flick, he sent the paper flopping into the air, landing on its other side. He clawed ineffectually at the cheap photocopy, but the girl in the picture didn't stop smiling. Panting, Beanbag gnawed the paper, coming close to chewing away her name: _Fuuka Yamagishi_.

Beanbag was a purebred lilac point Siamese kitten who didn't realize he was several generations removed from his saber-toothed ancestors. His mother had been bought by an impulsive tourist visiting a friend in the Inaba area. Disoriented, his mother had escaped in time to give birth to Beanbag and his brother beneath the dumpster of a local gas station. Beanbag didn't remember her, his brother, or the first few months of his life spent in freedom. He didn't even remember the day an overly-concerned human found him crouching under the awning of a textile shop, trying to keep out of the rain. He didn't remember being hurriedly stuffed into said human's leather jacket and being rushed home in a pounding downpour. But he did remember that as long as he'd been here, in this place where there was food and very soft blankets and a warm human who didn't mind sharing his pillow, there'd always been mail to play with. And he loved mail.

He settled down under the sofa, chewing the paper, gnawing a ragged line above the words _Have you seen me?

* * *

_

_3.14.16_

She had once, several years ago, been thoroughly creeped out by the sight of a room papered with photos, each photo a portrait of one woman, each portrait with its face savagely ripped out. She hadn't wanted to comprehend such hatred, hadn't wanted to look at it or remember she'd ever seen it to begin with.

Now she understood it completely.

Using a permanent marker, Chie Satonaka drew a precise handlebar mustache across Yosuke Hanamura's face. She blew on it, letting the ink dry on the glossy photo, then drew a stitched scar down his nose. He was smiling in the picture - he'd been pleased, because he'd finally gotten his dream motorcycle and had invited everyone over to celebrate - so she took a moment to black out his front teeth. That picture had been taken two years ago, the last time all of them had managed to get together. After a moment, she selected a red marker and drew blush circles on both of his cheeks.

Her laptop sat on her desk, still open to Rise's latest email. She glanced over, and though she didn't intend to reread it, random phrases caught her eye. _According to Senpai, things seem to be going good....haven't heard much from Yosuke-senpai....Have you seen his girlfriend's myplace profile? She's into ballet._

Chie told herself she was being stupid. She wasn't like this. She didn't even admire people who were like this. You had to go with the flow, dodge the jabs. Roll with the punches, and when you couldn't roll with them, take them on the chin.

Red marker squeaking, Chie started on an elaborate tutu around Yosuke's hips. It wasn't easy. He was sitting down in the photo, on the coffee table, and Nanako had been sitting on the floor near him, a plate of cake in her lap. Chie was careful not to let the tutu's frills overlap with Nanako's smiling face.

Pain smarted in her chest, the lonely ache that always accompanied thoughts of her friends. When she thought of them singly, Yukiko busy at the inn, Kanji at his shop, Rise and Naoto traveling in their different jobs, Souji, Yosuke and Teddie away at college in the city - it wasn't so bad. But when she remembered the days they'd all been in Inaba together, sweating through exams, laughing in their Headquarters, working extra hours at Junes, arguing over beauty pageants - she realized those days were never coming back. It didn't mean she loved her friends any less, it didn't mean that what they had now was somehow inferior. But she still regretted it.

Despite that, she used the black marker to draw a line of drool running from the corner of Yosuke's mouth.

She'd promised to meet Yukiko that evening, when her horrible shift as a desk jockey at the police station would be over. Yukiko would notice that something was wrong. Yukiko would find a way to work it out of her, learn of Rise's email and its offhand reference to Yosuke's girlfriend.

Fortunately, chances were slim Yukiko would realize why it should bother anyone.

Chie glanced at her open cell phone. 5:48. Less than a quarter hour to go. When she'd started down this career path (Her Great Quest to Kick Ass on the Police Force), she hadn't expected all this sitting. Sure, she wasn't yet a policeman. But she'd helped take down Izanami, goddess of death. Didn't she deserve a bit more excitement?

The phone rang. Her hand twitched towards the cell, then to the landline on her desk. Clearing her throat, she cradled it against her face. "Hello, Inaba Police Station, how may I help you?"

There was a sudden intake of breath, then a woman's voice. "I need to report a homicide."

* * *

_3.16.16_

Souji had classes all the way up to 8:30 that night, so he was starving by the time he got back to The Dorm. The Dorm wasn't really a dorm, it was the lower part of a house Souji and Yosuke had pooled their money together to rent. Teddie called it a dorm anyway, and the name had stuck. (Teddie's alternate name had been the Château d'Amour in hopes that the upper half would be rented out by hot college girls; but it was a middle-aged gentleman with tropical fish and fondness for playing Russian rap at odd hours of the day and night.)

It was quiet when he came in, Yosuke probably out with his girlfriend, Kaori. Teddie...who knew? Teddie didn't attend class. As far as Souji knew, neither the Japanese government nor its education system was officially aware of Teddie's existence. When Yosuke and Souji had decided to room together at college, Teddie had wailed at the idea of being left behind in Inaba. Mr. and Mrs. Hanamura, still somewhat befuddled at Teddie's sporadic presence in their home to begin with, hadn't balked at his leaving. So on the day of their departure, Teddie had simply stepped onto the train alongside them and waved goodbye. People who visited The Dorm or saw Teddie in Souji and Yosuke's company tended to assume he was a student, even if they never actually saw him in class. He spent his days in any number of ways, pulling in shifts as Junes' mascot, trawling the campus, or, worst of all, osmosing popular culture from the TV. But he seemed carefree. If things were going well enough for Teddie to be carefree, Souji was content.

Souji threw his bookbag onto the floor and stretched. He might as well make some dinner, even if it was late. Was there anything in the fridge? He thought yearningly back to the days when Nanako had handled all his food shopping. Nobody could pick out good plums like she could...

Their kitchenette was lame, just a small corner off their main room. Souji reached over to flick on the light. It didn't come on. Frowning, he stepped back and turned on the floor lamp in the main room. It didn't come on. After a moment, he found the cord and replugged it, casting the room and kitchenette into light.

Teddie, slumped on the sofa, lifted his head and blinked. For a second, he seemed to stare through Souji, his eyes sharpening with intensity. Then he smiled broadly. "Hey, Sensei. Back early from your wild night of carousing?"

"Carousing, yeah." Souji walked to the fridge and opened it. "Carousing with my textbooks, maybe. I've got a big exam tomorrow morning."

"No problem, you'll defeat it. Why even study?" Teddie rolled onto his back, crossed his arms behind his head and crossed his ankles. "You don't need all that. I'd call you a...Rock Solid Sage, I would."

Despairing of the fridge's contents, Souji opened the pantry. Ramen. No matter what happened or how long they delayed before hitting the store for more supplies, they always had ramen. If a volcano erupted and covered Japan in thirty miles of ash so that it couldn't be excavated for two thousand years, archaeologists would find The Dorm's ruins, find the petrified skeletons of three college boys, unearth the blasted remains of the kitchenette, and find an unopened box of ramen. There was something comforting in that.

"So, d'you know when Yosuke's going to be back? He still hasn't let me meet his girlfriend."

"No clue." Souji set the water on to boil and sauntered into the main room. "I think he's still upset about the whole fountain thing."

"Fountain thing? That was days ago. I'd forgotten. Don't psychologists say it's not healthy to dwell on the past?"

Souji was doubtful Teddie had a solid idea of what a psychologist was. But he didn't take the time to answer, because his eyes had been drawn to the floor. Not exactly the floor, the section of wall by the floor, following the line of the floor lamp's cord.

It connected to an electrical outlet, naturally. The outlet had two slots. The lamp was plugged into them, of course.

The slots were dripping with a steady flow of blood.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

_3.18.16_

Rise Kujikawa looked wistfully up at Jake Sommers, love-interest (or star, depending on which fans you talked to) of _Sunset_, the latest offering from Merrywow Studios, Hollywood, California. He wasn't her costar. Though famous in Japan, Rise was less than a cult favorite in the US, and the best her manager had been able to land her was a part with a total of three lines. She was playing the beautiful victim of a were-monkey attack, sprawling in a pool of her own blood and gasping out her assassin's name before falling dreadfully silent. Still, she and the superstar Jake had struck up an acquaintance, mostly from his side.

"You know," Rise said, still wistful, "if you combed your hair more over your forehead, you'd be kind of cute."

Jake blinked. He wasn't used to girls talking about his cuteness as being only a possibility. He shrugged vaguely and glanced past her, perhaps hoping the break was about to end.

Rise's lips curved at his discomfort, then she shook her head. "Never mind, it's not important." It was only that, for a moment, as he'd glanced at her sidelong, he'd looked a bit like Souji. And she'd thought maybe changing the hair would enhance the effect. And maybe that would make things better? She shook her head again. There was no point in pretending Jake was Souji. She couldn't imagine Jake whaling on Shadows with nothing but a golf club. She should just call Souji, see what he was up to. It was almost a month since she'd heard from him.

Bypassing a goodbye, she walked away from Jake, making her way through the tangles of unused cameras and wires - and the various hangers-on of the actors. She really hated acting in sound-stages, and today had been a series of reshooting the first action sequence, which meant green screens. It was all so inauthentic. She ran her fingers through the short stiff bob she'd gotten for the part. They were done with her for today, she might as well leave and shower out all this gel and makeup. And get rid of the costume. She had six sets of this denim miniskirt, black tank, and sandals, and she never wanted to see any of them again. She unlocked her tiny dressing room and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. It was smaller than her closet at home, just big enough for a short clothes rack, a chair, half a desk, and a mirror.

A small white box lay on the desk. Rise, used to receiving odd gifts from stalkers and fans, frowned. But her room had been locked, and only her manager had another key. Crossing to the box, she saw it had a tag: _To our Risette: Good luck with the action shots! _She was somewhat concerned at the lack of a signature, but...only Inoue-san could get in here. He must've delivered it on behalf of someone. She picked the box up, lifting the lid.

It revealed a flower, nestled in blue gift tissue. Wide with long stamens and six dagger-like petals, it was silky white. She didn't know enough botany to identify it, but it was certainly very pretty. Maybe some kind of lily. She lifted it, letting it rest in her palm.

She didn't wake up again for a long time.

* * *

_3.19.16_

A young boy, looking hardly older than sixteen, made his hurried way through Iwatodai Station, cell phone pressed to his ear. He seemed to know where he was going, moving purposefully towards the trains. But he suddenly stopped and leaned against one of the station's walls, as if catching his breath. Passersby couldn't see his face, the visor of his cap pulled low. Nor could they see the quick hard swallow down his throat, the collars of his coat turned up.

"You're sure?" the boy asked. Of course Merritt was sure; Merritt wouldn't have called if he wasn't sure. One passerby, hearing the English spoken in the crisp British inflections, glanced over, but that was all.

"I don't like passing this on to you." Merritt's connection was crackling. The American detective had stationed himself in Hollywood at the boy's insistence, one link in a long chain of communication that the boy wished was much longer. "I can tell you have something at stake here."

The boy disregarded that. "Where was she last seen?"

"Her dressing room, Merrywow Studios, Stage 2-A. Like I said, no sign of a struggle. The only tip-off that something was wrong is that she left her room key on the desk."

_That isn't like Rise,_ the boy thought. He shoved his free hand into his pocket, palm sweaty with fear.

"I'm also - I'm going to be frank with you, Shirogane - I'm also a bit suspicious that you had people keeping tabs on Kujikawa in the first place. Were you expecting something like this?"

_Expecting something, yes, but I had no clue what it would be._ "I can't divulge that yet."

"Figured you'd fall back on that one. Well, I'll keep you updated, but I'm busy enough on my own." And the call ended.

Naoto Shirogane, twenty years old, dark-haired, blue-eyed, and still dressing like a boy, stared down at her phone, as if Merritt's call could have left some last, unnoticed clue on its surface. She closed it, then, with sudden decision, flipped it open again, dialing.

"Naoto-kun?" said the voice on the other line. "Hey, what's up?"

"Chie-senpai, we need to talk."

"This...doesn't sound like a friendly get-together."

Naoto started walking towards the train again. "I was going to Inaba already, to see Dojima-san, but I want to talk to you too. It's important."

"Sure, anytime. Uh...what's going on?"

Something caught Naoto's attention, a movement in her left periphery. "It'll have to wait." And she closed her phone, walking more slowly.

The station was busy, full of commuters leaving the city after a long work day. Naoto's eye was drawn to a flash of white - there, sitting on a bench was a young woman in a long, simple white dress. Was that what had caught her attention?

The woman didn't appear to be waiting for anyone, sitting with her back straight, a sketching tablet across her knees. Her hair was pure red, falling to her elbows. A fluffy brown puppy nosed the pavement around her feet, then leapt onto the bench beside her, resting his snout on her leg. She patted him with her free hand, then set to drawing, pencil darting.

After a moment, Naoto realized it wasn't the artist and her dog that had caught her attention - it was the five men standing just beyond her. Watching her, Naoto. Naoto faced forward again and kept walking. She thought for sure she'd shaken her pursuit in Los Angeles. So much for breathing easy.

* * *

_3.20.16_

Buying the imported bobble eyes was worth it. Sure, the Junes brand ones were cheap, but they had absolutely no soul, no spark of humor or charm. These were large, limpid and ridiculously cutesy. These imparted life. Despite this, Kanji Tatsumi sighed as he arranged the bobble-eyed hand-knit finger puppets in the window of Tatsumi Textiles. It was twelve o' clock, seven hours since closing, but with his mother gone to visit her own mother, it was up to Kanji to close up shop. Besides, he'd finished the finger puppets there, might as well set them up. He'd meant to complete them earlier, but then Yukiko had called him unexpectedly that afternoon, right before closing.

"Kanji-kun?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Um...Do you want to go to the movies with me?"

"What?"

"I-it's not like a date! I just - let me calm down. Okay. I was going to go with Chie to the movies. She wants to see _Dungeon of the Fire-Lord Dragon-Warrior_."

"Right..."

"But she just called me and said that she's meeting Naoto-kun tonight."

Kanji could feel the blood rush in his cheeks, up his fingertips. "Naoto's here?"

"She's coming, yeah. Chie said it sounded important, so... Anyway... Kanji, are you listening?"

"'Course I am," Kanji barked. "So what? Why you still gotta go to the movies?"

"Well, Chie had promised to go with me so I could...get away from Tanaka-san."

"Who?"

"You know, the guy from the...show."

"Oh yeah. Wait, he's here?"

"Staying at the inn. And he's been...very...well, I just want a break from the inn. And Mother's not going to let me get away without an excuse, but now Chie's abandoned me. But Mother will let me go if you invite me. She likes you, Kanji-kun, she still remembers you as this cute little boy. So...?"

"...All right."

So he'd spent the evening with Yukiko, eating at Aiya's, then seeing Chie's dream movie. It wasn't a bad evening; Yukiko was his oldest friend, they got along well (she made small talk and didn't mind that he hardly ever answered), and at least the movie wasn't one of those sad ones that was sure to leave him weepy in public. There were only a few downsides. First, he still wanted to finish those puppets, so he'd find himself zoning out, wondering whether or not the glittery giraffe should have a border of green at the bottom...or a border of purple? Second, whenever he remembered why he was out with Yukiko to begin with, he got the Tanaka music stuck in his head. Third, he kept remembering that the real reason he was here was because Naoto was in Inaba.

He distracted himself well enough for two and half hours, but after the movie, when he'd let himself into the shop's back room to finish the puppets, he couldn't take his mind away from it. For the first few minutes, as he worked on the giraffe, he felt deflated that Naoto had returned to Inaba to see Chie. It wasn't that he expected to be foremost in Naoto's mind; five years of knowing her had taught him that she had plenty more to think about. It just would've been...nice to have her drop in to see him. He hadn't seen her for about a year. The others called and corresponded often, but Naoto, given the nature of her job, often had to be guarded in her communication, and infrequent.

By the time he'd finished the giraffe and started sewing the tiny plaid jacket for the purple frog, anger stirred in Kanji's stomach. Anger at himself. It was pathetic. Five friggin years. He'd been in love with Naoto Shirogane for five friggin years by now. He'd fallen in love at first friggin sight, not even knowing her name or true gender. And Kanji knew how dearly he'd paid for that.

He fitted the jacket onto the frog. He wasn't always sure it was a question of girls or guys. He loved Naoto, that was all. Even knowing she was female made it confusing. And the fact that, after five years, he didn't have one clear memory of her showing any special interest in him didn't help matters.

He sighed and finished up the last bit of beading for the aardvark puppet. Naoto didn't dislike him, he knew that. But she also didn't dislike Yosuke, or Souji, or Teddie or Yukiko or Chie or Rise. He knew from some of the things she'd said that he and the others were her first real friends, met after a childhood of relying on her grandfather for support. While she'd messed with his head from the moment they'd met, it seemed clear that he didn't stand out especially in her mind. Well, that's just how it was then.

And dammit if he wasn't going to accept it. He tied off the thread with a quick twist. Five years pining away was five years too long. Hell, there were long stretches of time when he'd hardly thought of her at all...weren't there? There was no pointing in mooning over -

Why didn't he just tell her?

Oh shit, no. She was a detective. If she couldn't figure out by now that he had a Junes-sized crush on her, he wasn't going to bring it forward. Besides, he had a vivid memory of seeing Naoto in the school hallway her first day of class, coolly telling two girls she wasn't interested in them. Kanji didn't want to hear that from her, not that bluntly. Or - worse - she might feel bad, might try to soften the blow. Kanji didn't want to be hurt, but he sure as hell wouldn't be spared.

The piglet puppet just need its felt ears attached. It was the work of five minutes.

His cell rang. He raised it to his ear. "Yeah?"

"Kanji-kun." Yukiko again. "Has Naoto been around your place?"

"Huh? What d'you mean?"

"She didn't meet with Chie. We haven't heard from her. We thought maybe she'd gone to see you or the Dojimas. We already called Nanako-chan, but she hasn't seen her either."

Kanji swallowed. "No, I - haven't seen her."

He could hear Yukiko take a deep breath. "It's probably nothing. She's good at taking care of herself. And she always carries a gun, so... I'm just overreacting."

"What train was she taking?"

"She didn't say. She was going to meet Chie tonight, so I guess it could have been the 5:40. Or the 8:20. Or maybe even the 9:50."

"Shit," Kanji muttered.

"I'm going to try her cell again. She has it turned off, which is weird... Anyway, thanks. Good night."

He'd finished the puppets a little before midnight. Sewing and arranging them had soothed his thoughts for a while, but as Kanji locked up and left, starting up the dark streets towards his own block, the worry rushed back in. The worry was made worse because he knew he wouldn't do anything. He wasn't going to organize a one-man search party for her. He was going to play it cool (like she was always telling him to do), just go home and not insult her by worrying. Later, he might try calling, but that was it. If Naoto's cell was off, it meant that whatever she was doing was too important for interruptions of any sort.

Knowing your friend was a half pint detective who was good at pissing people off was not comforting.

Technically, Kanji had no pressing need to live on his own; he was destined to inherit the shop, so he might as well have continued to live above it. Renting the lower floor of this speck of a house had been his one salvo of independence. His mother expected him to move back any day; deep down, he expected to move back any day. But though he sometimes found it lonely, there was something satisfying about being on his own, at least for the time being. It proved he could do it.

There was a white box waiting on his doorstep. Kanji picked it up and went inside, flicking on the light. Beanbag, curled up in a heap of mail on the sofa, blinked one eye open, then shut. There was a note on the box - _To Kanji-kun: Thanks for all your hard work._

Kanji raised one eyebrow, his scar crinkling. Had Ma sent this? The note sounded like something she'd say, but sending a gift seemed overboard. He turned the box over in his hands, but there was no address, not even his own. He opened it, revealing a...flower?

Kanji frowned and picked up the starlike white bloom in one hand, feeling the warm petals against his palm. The corners of his vision grew indistinct for a moment. He blinked, then watched as the flower paled, then seeped into his hand and vanished.

A cold wind hit the back of his neck. He'd forgotten to close the front door. He stared at his hand, then twitched it around, as if expecting to see the flower on the other side. Nothing. He rubbed his palm. Rough as normal. He took a deep breath. He had to stay calm. He had to think this through. Oh _shit_.

Behind him, he heard the sound of many footsteps beating down the street.

With Kanji Tatsumi, instinct was stronger than abstract enigmas involving flora. He pivoted, staring up the street. There hadn't been much gang activity nearby for years, not since Kanji was thirteen. Most likely, these weren't gang members, just a bunch of people out late at night, drunk or just having fun. Still, he reached back and pulled out one of the front room chairs. Not metal, less aerodynamic than a folding chair, it would nonetheless do the job. If...any job needed doing.

The streetlights were off, which Kanji noted as odd. He could hear the footsteps approaching. That didn't sound like thrill-seekers; they'd be hooting and shouting without caring who heard them. These people, aside from the running, were silent. Cautiously, he stepped out of the front door, bracing the chair against his leg.

There was partial moonlight shining through the patchy cloud cover. That was all that let Kanji see the group: five people running in a cluster, a sixth several meters ahead, running flat out. Without thinking it through consciously, Kanji realized he recognized the sixth figure.

White-knuckled, Kanji jogged down from his house, into the street, waited until the group was within ten meters, and then hauled back and slung the chair.

It flew true, coming at the cluster from the side, hitting one man in the jaw, taking three more down with him as he fell. Not even waiting to watch them topple, Kanji came at a run, bypassing the sixth person. He slammed his fist into someone's face, feeling bone snap, then turned to confront another.

Without his really noticing it, there was a glowing blue card in his hand. He made a fist, crushing it, still guided by instinct. "ROKUTEN MAOH!"

A massive scarlet figure flashed across the street, sweeping the five figures along the length of its sword. Kanji braced, waiting as the haze from his Persona cleared, waiting for the next assault.

The street in front of him was empty. No bodies. No blood. Just moonlight and an overturned chair. Breathing hard, Kanji turned around.

The sixth figure had stumbled to a halt at some point during the fight, falling to one knee on the street. One hand held a pistol, poised to shoot where the five figures had just been. The other hand steadied her hat. She too was breathing hard, face pale, eyes wide. But she had the strength left for three little words.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

_3.20.16_

"What the hell?"

Kanji ran his hand through his hair. "You all right?"

"That was - that was your Persona. How?" Unsteadily, Naoto climbed to her feet. She hadn't yet pocketed her gun.

"Uh -" Kanji blinked, then looked down at the hand that had crushed the card. "Shit, I don't know." None of them had ever been able to summon a Persona outside of the TV World. Naoto braced her legs, staring at him. For a moment, she hardly moved, so Kanji noticed the sudden sharpness of her knuckles along the gun's grip. Nervousness trickled through his vertebrae.

"Prove," Naoto said flatly, "you are Kanji Tatsumi."

Kanji looked blankly at her, not because he hadn't understood, but because he had no idea what to say.

Naoto seemed to realize this. Her voice shook for a moment, but she steadied it. "What did we talk about that day after school?"

Kanji didn't need to ask what day she meant. He knew she was referring to the second day of their acquaintance, after she'd asked him to meet her at the school gate. He remembered his nervousness that day, the confusion, the anxiety over his sudden fascination with this stranger. He remembered the moment he'd seen her walking up to the gate. She'd had her hands in her pockets. Her face hadn't betrayed any emotion, eyes shaded by her cap, and her dark jacket had somehow made her seem even smaller. They'd walked along the Samegawa. It was spring. There had been carp shooting through the dark water of the river. She'd had to walk quickly to keep up with him. What he couldn't remember was what they'd talked about.

Watching Naoto now, he saw her set herself, lift her right arm, angle her pistol towards him.

"Hold on!" He made a quick warding motion with his hand. "It was a long time ago, all right?" He thrashed his brain into action. Why had Naoto approached him in the first place? (How many times had he asked himself_ that_ question?) "We - you were investigating the murder case. You wanted to know if anything unusual had happened to me. You called me...odd."

Naoto tightened her lips, then took a deep breath and dropped her gun into her pocket. "I'm sorry, I just -" She blinked quickly. "How did you evoke your Persona? It shouldn't be possible."

"Already told you, I have no clue. And why were you being chased by -" he glanced behind him at the empty street and its lack of bodies "- whatever those were?"

Naoto, breathing slowing, cast around the dark neighborhood, the unlit lamps, the open door, the light spilling out. "Is that your house?" Kanji nodded. "This isn't a secure location." Without waiting for his answer, she started towards the door.

Kanji grabbed the chair and followed. "My place doesn't have a moat or barbed wire either."

She let him go in first, then closed the door behind them. "Is there a lock?"

Kanji gave her an exasperated look, then locked the door. "Okay, what else are you going to say without explaining?" Naoto had knelt by the chair, tilting it on two legs to get a better look. There were several broad scratches against the wood, but nothing else. "Damn, no blood," Kanji muttered. "Thought I hit 'em harder than that."

"You hit them plenty hard." Naoto squared the chair and straightened, staring up at him. "They don't bleed."

Again, the reason Kanji didn't say anything wasn't because he hadn't understood. He was just waiting for her to say something that made sense.

She obliged, or appeared to do the best she could. "I don't know what they are. But I've...spent a very eventful two weeks, and I've learned that none of them bleed. At least, none that have been killed. That I've heard about. I don't know where they come from or what their ultimate goal is, but they have been targeting Persona-users." She rubbed the bridge of her nose, wincing. "May I sit?"

Kanji started slightly and moved over to the sofa. Beanbag had already ducked for cover, so Kanji just picked up the mail and dumped it behind the sofa, out of sight. Naoto sat. After a moment's indecision, Kanji opted not to join her, sitting crosslegged on the floor. Naoto was checking her phone.

Kanji drummed his fingers against his knees. "Why didn't you call someone for help?"

"I..." She sighed. "Firstly, I want to draw as little attention to these incidents as possible." Kanji snorted derisively. "I've been able to dispose of the bodies up till now, but if Rokuten Maoh hadn't cleaned up after me, I don't know what I would've done." No snort this time. "Secondly, I thought I'd thrown them off at Iwatodai Station. I didn't realize they'd followed me until the train pulled in here. So there was nothing to do but try to lose them again." She grimaced. "It didn't work."

"Just a bit. What were you planning to do, run them to death? Why didn't you just pistolwhip 'em?"

"I couldn't snipe them without drawing the Inaba Police Force, which, at this point, I feel is imperative. And it's impossible to turn around and fire a gun with any accuracy while running for your life. And there's no point in firing without accuracy. So I felt it would more prudent to escape, not waste time in a useless crossfire. As to why they simply didn't shoot me in the back..." Her gaze drifted to the side. "Well, that would have also drawn attention, wouldn't it?"

Kanji lowered his eyebrows. "I don't care how nice you put it, you're bullshitting me. You got caught." He clenched his fists. "You almost died on my friggin doorstep!"

Naoto closed her eyes as a last pretense of dignity. "I apologize for any inconvenience." She opened her eyes again. "And I never thanked you, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, because that's what I'm complaining about, not the five bloodless pricks that were chasing you." He ran his fingers through his hair. "You were leading them to me on purpose?" He wondered if she could hear the shift in his voice. He hadn't welcomed the fight, but if Naoto had sought him for protection...

Her eyes widened. "I had no idea you live here." ...That's right, he'd only moved here two months ago. "I was running blindly. When you appeared, I - that's part of why I wasn't sure if this were all a trap."

Kanji stared at her. "What the hell is going on?"

Naoto opened her mouth - then hesitated. "I'm not even sure where to start. Every time I decide what I should do, exactly how much I should tell, something new happens, and all my plans just -" she exhaled and closed her eyes "- scatter to the winds."

"So you're saying that even you don't know. And you think us Persona-users are in danger." He studied her face. "Damn, you look dead."

"I think I've been dead for the past week. I've been sleeping on trains, and planes, and buses... That's usually where my pursuit finds me again." She kneaded her forehead. "If I could take a pill to stop sleeping, I would." She straightened. "I need to see Dojima-san." She was already dialing. Kanji watched as she placed the phone to her ear and waited. "He won't pick up."

"He's probably busy with the Amada case."

Naoto's eyes - and her attention - focused on him. It was both pleasant and uncomfortable. "Amada?"

"Yeah. Some guy who lived west of the Samegawa was murdered. Stabbed half a dozen times in the stomach."

Naoto swallowed. "Did he recently move into the area?"

Kanji would have liked to have said no, because it would mean he didn't have to factor in the murder of some stranger into the crisis surrounding Naoto. "I think I heard that, yeah. Why? I don't see how it matters."

Naoto reflected before answering. "I had reason to suspect him of being a Persona-user. I'm certain now, but it's...patently too late."

"What? There're other Persona-users?"

"Yes. But I can't tell you more now, I need to..." She shook her head quickly, as if clearing it.

"You need to stumble out there half-dead and get yourself killed for good?"

Naoto stood by way of answer.

"Does your grandpa know what's going on?"

She winced. "I will apprise him as soon as -"

Kanji climbed to his feet, which gave him the advantage of looming over her. "Bullshit again, Naoto. You don't want him to know the kinda danger you're in."

Naoto averted her eyes, staring at the floor. Her shoulders were angled with fatigue. "Detectives shouldn't run in families. I confess, were Grampa only a fellow investigator, I might have contacted him weeks ago. As it is, he's been very sick, and I can't bring myself to..." Her voice trailed off into unhappy silence, then she rallied, turning and walking towards the door. "And I fear seeking his help would only make him a potential target. In any case, I thank you for your ass-"

"Ass-kicking, you're welcome."

There had been more challenge than humor in his tone, but she smiled faintly. "I was going to say assistance." She continued towards the door.

Kanji, before he'd entirely agreed to himself that he'd do it, found he'd interposed himself between her and the door. If he'd tried to plan what to say, he would've stuttered and looked away; as it was, he looked her in the eye. She braced but let him speak. "See, I have this policy of not letting my friends walk out my door and get killed."

"I believe I've shaken my pursuit _this_ time. Your Persona saw to that."

"Shit, Naoto, in your state, you're going to get run over by a car! Hell, a little red wagon could do you in."

Naoto's mouth tightened. "I am not _that_ small."

"What're you planning to do? Jog up and down the streets of Inaba the rest of the night, looking for Dojima-san? Find Chie-senpai? Go home to your grandpa? Sleepwalk around out there so some more of those shitters can find you?"

"What do you suggest?" Naoto snapped. "I spend the night here?"

Swearing, Kanji turned to face the door. He could feel Naoto staring at him. He didn't know what he'd been suggesting. He was determined not to say anything else, not until she spoke.

"Persona-users are being picked off by the enemy." Her voice came slowly, considering. "One, Ken Amada, has definitely been murdered. Fuuka Yamagishi, a possible Persona-user, has gone missing. One more has been kidnapped, her whereabouts unknown...Rise-chan."

Kanji swallowed hard. "Shit."

"Singly, each has been overwhelmed." She fell silent for a moment. "I feel we who remain should close ranks, but I worry that that will only present a larger target for our enemy."

Kanji turned the house key over in his fingers.

Naoto sighed softly - a gentle sigh, not exasperated - which nearly made Kanji weak with relief. "Very well then." Her tone was careful. "I'll make myself comfortable in here for the next few hours." He heard her step away from the door and sit on the sofa.

"Uh -" Kanji made a strange sound in his throat, as though he were swallowing a whole turnip. "Y-y-you should take my room. The couch is lumpy."

There was a loaded silence while he could feel Naoto staring at him again. If he didn't end up with two sizzling brand marks in the middle of his back, it would be a miracle.

"Thank you, I appreciate your consideration," Naoto said evenly. She rose. "That door? Good morning, then." He almost couldn't hear her footsteps on the carpet, but he heard the bedroom door open, then close.

Kanji exhaled, then tipped his head back, pinching the bridge of his nose to make the bleeding stop.

* * *

_3.20.16_

The jet crossed over the North Pole like a sleek bullet. Furrowing her forehead, Yukari Takeba collected a slice of chocolate cake from the small kitchen at the back, then crossed into the long seating area. She slid in next to the only occupied seat. "Hey."

The other woman's auburn hair was rumpled over her face, her forehead in her left hand. She straightened, the fingers of that hand curving with an unconscious, inborn elegance. A small diamond glimmered on her third finger. Yukari was surprised to see it there; she hadn't seen it for a while, and she'd been sure it had been left behind in Paris. But she hoped her face didn't betray her.

Her friend gave her a small smile. "Thank you." She accepted the plate, and her smile grew a shade more genuine. "I'm going to need a fork though."

"Drat." Yukari laughed at herself, though it wasn't really that funny. "No, no, Mitsuru, I want you eat it like that. Like in a pie-eating contest." Not even waiting to see if Mitsuru would attempt a laugh, Yukari jumped to her feet. "I'll be right back." She jogged back to the kitchen, grabbed a fork, and jogged back in.

"Thank you," Mitsuru half-whispered, taking the fork. "And...thank you for being so patient."

"It's no problem," Yukari said with an easiness she didn't feel. "I love seeing the world like this. I only wish Aigis had decided to come. But I'm sure she's doing fine with Junpei and Chidori. And anyway, we're almost home."

Mitsuru glanced at her. "It's been a hard three months for you."

"I didn't say that!" Yukari took a moment to regain control of her voice. "And if it's been a hard three months for me, that's because it's been a hard three months for _you_. When you said you wanted company on your trip -"

"I never expected to keep you for three months," Mitsuru said quickly, cutting off a bite of cake but not lifting it. "And I didn't think we'd be moving around so much."

Yukari leaned closer to her and lowered her voice. "And I thought if something was really bad you'd tell me. Tell me more than you have."

Mitsuru gazed out the window, though there was little to look at.

Yukari sighed and settled back against her seat, crossing her arms. Mitsuru had been planning to visit America since last fall, and everything seemed to have been going well until the week of their departure, when they'd heard that Akihiko was wanted by the police. Why'd he'd killed three fellow policemen, where he might have gone, Yukari didn't know. She wasn't sure if Mitsuru knew. Yukari had expected Mitsuru to cancel all her plans and remain in Port Island to hear news of her fiancé, but she had left Japan two days early. So far away from home, Yukari couldn't do much digging for information; and so near to Mitsuru, she couldn't bring herself to ask questions, though she kept telling herself to. Every time she tried to come close to it, Mitsuru either looked pained or shut herself off entirely. Though angry and aghast, Yukari knew that Mitsuru was far more upset than herself, and she didn't need her best friend to become another source of trouble. Slapping her across the face wouldn't work this time.

Yukari hated sitting back and waiting. Only for a friend would she willingly do it.

* * *

_3.20.16 _

"Dude! _Dude_," Yosuke hissed. Souji was rolling over and sitting up even as a pillow slammed into his face.

With an oath, Souji heaved his friend off of his bed, pitching him to the floor. "What? Is - oh hell."

"Oh hell? You think_ oh hell _covers this?" Yosuke was already on his feet. "Before you ask, yeah, my room's the same!"

Souji blinked. Even without the light on, he could see clearly. The moon struck full across the opposite wall. The one his lamp plugged into. A thick stream of blood rolled out of the sockets, pooling on the floor.

Four nights ago, the blood flow had abated before Yosuke had gotten back in, and he'd met Teddie and Souji's news with skepticism - then belief - then uneasy skepticism the next morning. He kept saying it was a good joke, but the two of them could drop it, all right? It hadn't helped that Souji was blasted after a long day while Teddie kept complaining that his head hurt. Yosuke blowing them off hadn't really been a surprise. Even as he'd cleaned up the mess, Souji had found himself rationalizing. Rust. Right. Blood-colored rust. That came from an electrical outlet. But it made more sense than any other explanation.

Staring at the blood now, Souji decided he probably wouldn't smack Yosuke with an _I told you so_, at least not just yet. He fumbled out of bed, crossing the small room to kneel by the puddle.

"What d'you think?" Yosuke had come armed with his cell phone. "Should we call an exorcist or an...electrician, or - dammit, _what am I saying?_ Is it Shadows?"

Souji shook his head slowly. "What about Teddie, did you check the outlet in his room?"

"Only that stupid bear could sleep through this. Teddie!" Yosuke glanced over his shoulder, but no one came running into the room. Swearing again, Yosuke jogged out. Souji saw that he had two sheathed knives jammed into his pajamas pocket.

Moistening his lips, Souji tentatively put his ear against the wall. He heard nothing - no groaning, or growling, or slavering oozing anything. The wall didn't even feel particularly warm.

"Souji!" Yosuke shouted from down the short hall. "Teddie's gone!"


	5. Chapter 5

5.

_3.20.16_

"Don't let it get you down, Ai-chan. You're doing fine."

Aigis' blue pupils contracted with concentration as she bent over the eggs.

"Look, every time you cook, doesn't it turn out perfectly?"

"No," Aigis said, straightening.

"But you always follow the recipe exactly."

"I do." Though she still spoke with the somewhat stilted inflection of an automaton, the worry line between her eyes was human enough. "I am a robot, and it is natural for a robot to follow instructions. But I can bring no personality to my creations. Each meal is exactly like another."

"You know, as chefs go, that's not a bad thing," Junpei Iori assured her, leaning back against the fridge. "I'm no culinary guru myself. I'm happy if the stuff I churn out is halfway edible."

"If your cooking is edible," his wife said blandly from the table, "I start to wonder if you're an impostor." It wasn't always easy to tell when Chidori was joking or just making an observation; it was best to take whatever she said in stride.

"Hey, Chidorita, what about that cake I made last month? That was edible. You even asked me to make more."

Chidori's sooty eyes narrowed. "Are you referring to that block of tofu you made?"

Junpei blinked. "That was cake, not tofu."

Chidori haughtily shook her head and began to set the table. Hoshi, the puppy Junpei had bought to console them both after Koromaru's death last spring, lolled on the floor, snout resting on Junpei's foot.

Aigis cut the stove's heat. Fried eggs. Simple, satisfying and...soulless. She sighed. Wasn't it enough that she had a soul? Did the food have to have a soul too?

Junpei patted her shoulder as she took the pan from the stove. "Hey, girls, I have an idea what we can do today. Why don't we take the train down to the country and have a picnic?"

"What will your boss say?" Chidori asked, more than a hint of reproach in her voice.

"My boss owes me a favor," Junpei replied piously. "I'll just call and remind him." He opened his cell phone, meeting a ream of untouched voice mail and text messages. Nothing new there. "In a second." He began to sort through them while Aigis and Chidori got the rest of the breakfast things together.

Chidori glanced over at him, and she was the one who saw his brow jump in surprise. She set her plate down, hands steady. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh..." Junpei swallowed. "Just an unusual text, that's all."

Aigis looked over quickly. "Does it have anything to do with Fuuka-chan? Or Akihiko?"

"No," Junpei said quickly. He frowned at the phone, then rubbed his chin. Then put on a smile. "Looks like I'm going to have to go in to work after all. But hey, you girls should still go on a picnic."

Aigis looked at Chidori, then Junpei. Her eyebrows slanted down. "If it were not for humans, I would not know what lying is."

"Hey, don't give me that face." Junpei kept his smile on. "This is important. Trust me, when it comes down to spending the day with two lovely ladies or staying in the city, I'd rather go with you. You should be sorry for me."

"Why do you have to stay in?" Chidori asked.

"I have to meet with someone, it's important." He fiddled with the zipper on his jacket. "A guy from work."

Chidori looked at him intently. Then she nodded. "Very well then." Aigis glanced at Chidori but didn't second-guess her. She was, after all, the wife.

Junpei smiled expansively and gave Chidori a kiss. "I'll see you later then." He straightened his cap, scrunched Hoshi's shoulders, then gestured Aigis to follow him out of the kitchen into the hall. She came, her stiltlike legs tapping behind him. Junpei waited until he'd stepped out the front door before turning to her. "Stay alert," he said, his tone light but something grim in his face. "And...look after her, okay?"

Aigis' eyes widened with something else she had learned from humans - fear.

* * *

_3.20.16._

As usual, Kanji woke up with Beanbag curled up on his chest, warm, fluffy and vibrating with purrs. Not as usual, he had a shrieking pain up the back of his neck and his lower vertebrae. His feet hovered in midair, and his pillow felt oddly like a rolled-up jacket. Late morning sunlight slanted through the one window...which faced the street? He glanced around. He was in the front room? Had he passed out? No, he hadn't been drunk... He wasn't in his bed because...

He clapped his hand over his nose before it could start anything, which caused Beanbag to jump away in fright, skittering up to the sofa's headrest. Lowering his hand from his face (clean), Kanji sat up, staring at the door to his bedroom. Shut. Quiet. The only thing he could hear was his neighbor upstairs, vacuuming.

Was Naoto still there? He wouldn't put it past her to be able to sneak out while he slept, but that didn't seem to be her style. Should he...knock on the door? Should he cower in silence in his own damn house? Kanji mentally groaned, just grateful that Yosuke and Teddie weren't here to have a field day with this. Rise either. _Damn, Rise-!_

Questions piled back into Kanji's mind as he stood and stretched. Persona-users were in danger. And there were more Persona-users than their little group in Inaba. And he could summon his own Persona outside of the TV, somehow. He glanced again at the door, wondering whether he should let Naoto sleep. In the end, he decided he would. She might not thank him for letting her oversleep, but, if things were bad, who knew when she'd have a chance to rest again? Moodily, he kicked the chair out of the way, then bent to pick up the white box the flower had come in.

White box the flower had come in?

Kanji stared at the box, remembering how he'd picked up the flower, then it had somehow sunk into his skin. _Great. We can add this to our growing shitheap of problems._

He jumped as his cell rang, and he gave another start as he saw who it was. "Nanako-chan? Shi- uh, crap, is there something wrong with Dojima-san too?"

"No," Nanako said slowly, processing this outburst. "Dad's okay. He only just got back from work. I just wanted to know if you were okay."

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?"

"I came by the store to pick up that shirt for Dad, and it's all closed. Are you sick?"

Kanji glanced at the clock. 10:51 a.m.. "No, I, uh... I decided not to open today, that's all. But the shirt's ready."

"Oh. Can I come by tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Sure. I hope. I mean, uh - I'll talk to you later."

"Is everything okay?"

Kanji took a deep breath. "Me and some others are probably going to drop by later, okay? Make sure Dojima-san has a good breakfast." And he ended the call.

Just then, his bedroom door opened. Naoto stepped out, hatted, jacket hanging in the crook of one arm. Her button-up shirt was rumpled, her tie undone, but her face was all business. "Did Nanako-chan have news of the Amada case?"

"Uh -" Kanji pulled his eyes away from her "- no. She said Dojima-san only just got back."

Naoto's lips narrowed thoughtfully. "I wonder if it would be wiser to approach him first or Chie."

Kanji pocketed his phone. "How about something like breakfast?"

Naoto shook herself. "Thank you, yes. I always forget to think of things like that when I'm on a case." She studied him. "What is that box?"

Kanji grimaced. "You're going to be sorry you asked."

* * *

_3.20.16_

"Dammit, I knew we should've signed him up for some classes! One class! Just so long as he was on the record somewhere!"

Souji let Yosuke vent. In his experience, this stage would be followed by Yosuke at his best: grim, efficient, and focused. In the meantime, he continued to call through their list of friends and classmates, asking if anyone had seen Teddie.

"That cute little boy with the eyes? No, sorry..."

"That guy who lives with you? Nah."

"The beauty pageant winner? Damn, no."

They couldn't ask the college's administration to step in. As Yosuke kept saying, it didn't really know who Teddie was. As for the local police...yes, they could describe Teddie to an officer, but what happened when they needed to give out his name and personal information?

"He's probably fine," Souji said between calls.

"Fine?" They were in Teddie's room, Souji sitting in Teddie's baby blue beanbag chair. Yosuke paced. He'd forgotten to comb his hair. "If Teddie was fine, we'd know where he was! He'd be out there drawing a crowd, doing that mime thing of his, or that one-man symphony, or cross-dressing as Alice again. If Teddie isn't surrounded by gawkers, something is wrong!" He stopped abruptly in his pacing, arms crossed, glaring at the poster on Teddie's wall (it showed a character from some shoujo manga). His cell rang. He slapped it to his ear without looking. "Yeah? Oh - hey." His voice dropped sullenly, then picked up again. "Yeah, I know, I know. Look, I can't make it, something came up. It's...uh, I can't really say. It's a family crisis. Yeah. Thanks. No, no I'll call you later. See you, Kaori."

Souji, despite his worry, raised his eyebrow. "Family crisis?"

"Teddie's family and don't you deny it." Yosuke went back to glaring at the wall.

Souji went back to calling. "Hey, Sachiko-chan? Hi. Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if -"

Yosuke's hand clenched his shoulder. "Souji."

"Uh - never mind." And while Sachiko was still asking him what on earth was going on, he ended the call.

Yosuke nodded at the wall.

Teddie's lamp was plugged in. Dried blood curled from the outlet.

* * *

_3.20.16_

It had been years since Junpei had been in these back alleys. They had never been his hang out, though once he might have boasted they were. On this sunny morning, the narrow dark corridors were dingy rather than threatening. He paused by some trash cans. A faded red symbol was spray-painted across one wall - Nyx's name.

"Hey," said a voice behind him.

"Man, you have nerve coming back here." Junpei turned. The other man stood in a slanting shadow, but Junpei still knew him. He took in his appearance at a glance: black pants, black jacket, black leather gloves, red shirt. Junpei's words came out too fast. "What do you want?"

The man didn't answer.

"I only came here because - because I figured you'd keep hounding me if I didn't. So say your piece and get the hell outta here."

"Look," the other man said, "three months ago, you would've said you trusted me no matter what."

"Yeah." Junpei put his hands on his hips. "And three months ago, when I first heard, I figured you must've been framed. But then I heard Mitsuru herself called the police to bring you in."

"Those policemen I killed were in the pay of -"

Not finishing, making a quick gesture of frustration, the man stepped out of the shadows. Junpei's instinct was to fall back, but he held his ground. "I don't know what exactly's up, but you haven't turned out looking too good." That said, he released a shaky breath and looked down at his feet.

The man folded his arms and regarded the wall just beyond his shoulder, speaking with that calculated slowness that always grated on Junpei. "If you don't trust me, why did you come?"

Junpei shook his head. "Ain't going to back down, that's all."

"I wasn't challenging you." He looked into Junpei's face, hazel eyes intent. "I need help."

"Help?" Junpei tightened his fists. "Help doing what? The same stuff that got you a price on your head?"

"Yeah."


	6. Chapter 6

6

_3.20.16_

_Kanzeon?_

_This is the first time I've heard you clearly. Your Persona's called Juno, isn't she?_

_My name is Fuuka Yamagishi._

_...Rise Kujikawa. Where are you? Your voice feels so weak.  
_

_Have you figured out why we're here?_

_Only that they want me to betray my friends!_

_Yield to them._

_What?_

_I resisted too, but then I realized...we're trapped. We can't get out by ourselves. If we don't tell them where our friends are, our captors will get away with all this.

* * *

_

_3.20.16_

Naoto opened her palm and stared intently down at it. But she already knew that was wrong, because she'd never had to concentrate to summon her Persona card. She sighed and whispered, "Yamato Takeru." Then let her hand fall to her side. If Fate was randomly passing back their Personas, she'd been overlooked.

Naoto put her hand on her hip, regathering her thoughts, so she was composed by the time Kanji sauntered out of the kitchen area, having needed a moment to feed his cat, setting out extra food as a precaution. They left without exchanging a word, heading in the direction of the Dojimas' house. Though she didn't think the police force as a whole was ready to hear about a crisis involving Personas, Naoto hoped she might be able to gain Dojima's assistance. (He'd heard the stories, though she doubted he was willing to entirely believe them.) She had already called Chie to meet her there and to bring Yukiko if it were possible. Chie herself was dodging one of her classes to make this appointment, but something in Naoto's tone had kept her from arguing about it, particularly when she advised Chie to wear her greaves.

"Have you heard from Souji or Yosuke?" Naoto asked presently. "Or Teddie," she added as an afterthought. Kanji shook his head. "I attempted to contact some of those other Persona-users, but I've mostly hit dead-ends. I'm not sure if I even know who all of them are, just that they were centered in Port Island seven years ago. Most of them went to that school, in fact. The one we visited on our class trip. I wish I'd known then what I do now."

"I wish I'd known never to play the King's Game with Teddie," Kanji muttered. "How did you know there were more Persona-users to begin with?"

"I was in Port Island in late December." Naoto waved her hand impatiently. "This woman hired me to follow her husband and his mistress. I wouldn't have taken the job except that I suspected drug-trafficking was involved and... Anyway, while I was there, three local policemen were killed on a job." She glanced up at him. "They appeared to have been electrocuted."

Kanji glanced to one side. "You're real smart, Naoto, and I have no idea where you're going with this."

"They'd been dispatched to bring in another policeman, one Akihiko Sanada. There was just a single witness, and he was far from reputable, so the police force was largely indifferent to his testimony. But he claimed the policemen had cornered Sanada in an alley when the suspect pulled a gun and pointed it at his own head." Kanji grimaced. "Upon his firing, an enormous figure emerged from him and blasted the policemen with lightning bolts. Sanada left their bodies and ran."

Kanji stopped walking to stare at her. "That sounds like - "

"- Maziodyne, yes."

"But - what's with the gun? What did he do?"

"I can only infer that the gun is somehow linked to his Persona or that the witness didn't see his actions clearly."

"Couldn't - I mean, the witness could've just made it up. I dunno."

"Possible, but unlikely. The witness claimed to have distinctly heard Sanada shout the word _Persona_."

"Shit." Kanji started walking again. "Is there some other TV World? Did Izanami set this all up somewhere else? But then she would've won there and never taken us on."

"Do you remember the reports of Apathy Syndrome?"

"...No."

"It was in 2009 and 10. A bizarre, untraceable illness was confined to the Bay Area. It cleared up as suddenly as it came. And do you recall hearing news reports about the Nyx cults?"

"Those people who were predicting the end of the world, right? I sorta remember."

"All the other Persona-users I know about were in that area at that time." Naoto pressed her lips together as she thought. "It may all be coincidence, but I don't think so."

"And what about the flower? Any ideas about that?"

Naoto shook her head. She honestly didn't want to go back to the flower, because if there was one thing she hated, it was a mystery she had no power to solve. And vanishing flowers seemed to subscribe to that. She pulled a grimace. "I suppose one place we could start would be looking through a reference of every flower known to man, this assuming the flower even comes from this world."

"This world? What other world is there? The TV World?"

"One theory makes as much sense as another at this point."

Kanji sighed with exasperation.

"As I said before, I haven't had much luck making contact with the others, or even confirming their identities as Persona-users. Sanada has vanished. As for Ken Amada, I read a report of his mother dying under circumstances that made me suspect he too had come into contact with Persona. Another, Chidori Yoshino, was suspected in 2007 of killing a rapist. Witnesses describing seeing a silver woman destroy him. Yoshino also evaded the police, and I couldn't find anything more recent concerning her. As for Mitsuru Kirijo..."

"Kirijo," Kanji repeated. "I've heard that name. Isn't it some company?"

"They develop robotics, among other things. Very rich, powerful, and headquartered in Port Island. I hadn't learned anything definite about the Kirijo Group, only that there is a multitude of lost data concerning the 1992-2010 years. And I remembered..." She looked up at him. "Do you recall when I first researched Shadows and Personas? Back in school?"

"Nope."

His bluntness made her smile. "I did. The mainstream websites merely repeated each other into uselessness. But there were several forums with...eclectic information. And most of these had significant contributions from a single individual, who always went by the name of Jin. And, looking back, I realized that many of the things he'd said were too specific for anyone but a Persona-user to know. To someone who didn't know much about Personas - or very little, as I initially did - his statements would have been vague and unconnected. But recalling them, I could tell that Jin must have evoked a Persona, or known someone who had. Most of his posts have vanished, and the few I tracked myself left me with scrambles. I had to divulge a good amount of money for a hacker who could trace them back to an IP address in -"

"Lemme guess. No, wait, I won't bother."

"Exactly. Furthermore, reviewing his posts, I discovered several possible allusions to the Kirijo Group. It was tenuous, but adding it to the missing records, I felt I should attempt to investigate the group. Then, in mid-January, Fuuka Yamagishi went missing."

"Did you say that name earlier? Yesterday?"

"Yes. I read an account of her disappearance in one of the Port Island papers, and it was unremarkable but for one offhand reference: She was a close friend of Mitsuru Kirijo, met during their time at school. In 2009."

Kanji shook his head. "You're good at what you do, Naoto, but are you really sure this is all connected?"

She smiled again, somewhat bitterly. "I'm only up to mid-January." She bent her right arm, tilting her visor against the sun-glare off the Samegawa. She glanced around the bright morning, perhaps clearing her thoughts, then said, very mildly, "How's your mother, Kanji?"

Kanji didn't even bother with an "uh" or a "what". He just stared at her, eyes wide, then narrowed, but consistently incredulous.

Naoto turned her face towards him, using that as an excuse to glance sidelong over her shoulder. She kept her tone conversational but her voice low. "Don't look behind you. I believe we're being followed." She faced forward again. She tried to listen for steps behind them. After a moment, she distinguished them, light and unhurried.

Kanji's eyes shifted to their periphery, but he didn't turn his head. "Ma's fine."

"Let's catch our breath," Naoto muttered as they approached a bench. There was a street light, unlit during the day, and a metal mesh trash can, half filled. While Naoto sat, Kanji remained standing by said trash can. He preferred chairs, but it would do in a pinch. Naoto had stuffed her hands into her trouser pockets, right fingers curled around her gun, easing off the safety. From there, she could clearly see their pursuit, a lone young woman with short brown hair. She wore a long pink dress, high-collared jacket, and knee boots.

"How is the shop doing?" Naoto asked.

"Fine," Kanji said.

The woman halted abreast of them, turning to look at Naoto. Her eyes were large and very brown. "Excuse me," she said flatly, reaching to pull something out of her jacket. Naoto stood and leveled her gun at the woman's chest. Kanji swung the trash can up, regardless of the contents.

The woman didn't even flinch. Stiffly, she genuflected and lowered a small white box to the ground. Then she raised her right hand, which was gloved.

There was a small metallic sound. Naoto realized her hand wasn't gloved. The woman's fingertips swung open, revealing the barrels of five slender guns. She clenched her other hand. "Kampe."

It was indistinct, almost transparent, but a Persona appeared above the woman's head: an abstract female figure, her body dark as gunmetal - a bizarre combination of a woman's torso, bat wings, and a scorpion's body. It vanished without striking.

"Neither of you can heal," the woman said, her tone as stiff as her movements. "Allow us all to withdraw."

"You have any idea what this bitch is?" Kanji asked Naoto, more aggressive than wary.

"No." It was all Naoto could do to keep her voice steady. "Machines shouldn't be able to summon Personas."

The woman showed no fear as she straightened, right hand still pointed at Naoto. She backed away, then turned around completely, putting her hand in her pocket and continuing up the street.

"We can take her," Kanji said.

"You don't know that!" Naoto snapped. "You have no clue what she is or what she can do."

"I know that you're letting one of those 'enemies' mince off without a bullet up her ass!" He took a step towards the woman.

"If you attack her, I'll shoot _you_," Naoto retorted. "We cannot afford to engage the enemy rashly."

Kanji answered by slamming the trash can to the pavement.

Naoto ignored this, keeping her attention on the woman's diminishing figure. When she'd turned a corner, Naoto cast around the riverbank. She couldn't assume they weren't being watched. She wanted to duck for cover, but where? Lead their enemies to the Dojimas? Lead them back to Kanji's place? Was it better to stay in the open, so that if there were some confrontation, they'd have more room to fight? Would that ensure fewer people would get hurt?

Fewer people...

Naoto pocketed her gun, then picked up the white box. It was identical to the one she'd seen at Kanji's. She swallowed. "We're going to Junes."

"The hell? How's that going to help us? The TV's not there." Souji had bought The TV shortly after moving away, both for sentimental value and so that Teddie would someday have easy access to his valley. "Or are we gonna jump into another one?"

"We're going to the food court, that's all."

She had started walking first. Kanji stalked up from behind and easily overtook her. "Haven't you said a million times already we're being followed? Why go to the food court? What the hell's there that's gonna to help us?"

"Nothing. But so far, I've only been attacked in places where many people won't see me. Junes is never empty."

Kanji looked down at the box in her hand. "Pitch that thing into the river."

"No," Naoto shot back.

"If it came from some robot who threatened to kill us, it can't mean anything good."

"You opened your box, and you're far from dead, Kanji-kun." Naoto sounded almost happy. Things were hardly wonderful, but she had another clue.

* * *

_3.20.16_

Chie glanced down the hallway, but she felt uncomfortable asking Nanako if her dad was _ever_ going to wake up. Nanako didn't acknowledge her awkwardness, happily paging through a cookbook, trying to decide what to make for lunch. Chie sighed, repeating to herself that she must be zenlike and patient, and tried to be interested in the recipes. She sidled up for a better look. At eleven, Nanako was as tall as Chie's shoulder and still growing.

"Chie-chan?"

"Yeah?"

Nanako glanced down. "Why did you wear those?"

Chie regarded her appearance. It was still cold, so she'd worn a long sleeved shirt and her lime windbreaker. But given Naoto's warnings, she'd opted for shorts instead of jeans, allowing an uninhibited view of the slabs of steel affixed to her calves, knees and lower thighs. "I...think they're cute."

Nanako hesitated a long moment. "Oh." She put on a smile. "Okay." And went back to searching.

Tapping the toe of her sneaker on the floor, Chie checked her cell again for any messages. Naoto had said it was urgent, so why wasn't she here? Of course, last evening Naoto had said it was urgent and she'd never shown up at all. _C'mon, where are you? If something's wrong, I wanna help._ If Dojima ever woke up, she could pass the time by asking him about the Amada case. Her job didn't overlap with the investigation beyond fielding phone calls, but she wanted to at least hear something new, have the vague sense she was part of something critical.

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it," said Chie, walking over, greaves clanking.

Turning the knob revealed a single visitor, a lovely woman with very brown eyes. She held out a white box. "I understand Chie Satonaka is currently here?"

"Uh - yeah. Wow. Thanks. Who is it from?"

"I believe the card will give you some clue." And she bowed and walked away.

Leaning against the doorframe, Chie flipped the card up. _To Chie-chan: Never slow down!_

_I guess it's from Yukiko...?_ Few people would address her so familiarly, and as for the slowing down part, only her friends would know her well enough to put that. They knew that _slowing down_ wasn't in her vocabulary. _And I called Yukiko earlier to see if she could come here, and she said she had to work. That's how she knew I'd be here._ Chie smiled with satisfaction. She could do this police investigation thing as well as anyone. It was just a matter of being rational. Naoto would be proud.

She opened the box, her eyes rounding with pleasure as she reached in. "Whoa, pretty."


	7. Chapter 7

7

_3.20.16_

"You know, when I bought this bike, you weren't the kind of passenger I was hoping for."

Every time Souji, lacking a car, had to tag along, Yosuke couldn't resist making a crack. Souji settled the helmet over his head, then reached to clasp Yosuke's waist - then thought, no, he'd spare Yosuke. Yosuke had been through a lot, Yosuke was done ranting, Yosuke was being quite intelligent for the time being. He didn't deserve to have that composure jolted out of him, even though it would've been funny. So Souji reached behind and anchored himself from the back. Yosuke revved the Junes Bike's engine just to be theatrical, checked that Souji wasn't in immediate danger of toppling off, then peeled out of The Dorm's driveway.

They screeched into the train station's parking lot and came at the ticket booths at a run, getting onto the train just in time. "Okay," Yosuke puffed, throwing himself back against a seat. "So far, so good. You sure you know where the key is?"

"Sure I'm sure. And even if I'm not, I've broken in before."

"Yeah, but that was when your grandparents were in town. With them on vacation, won't someone be watching their house?"

Souji shrugged. "My grandparents will just be happy I visited."

Laughter bubbled out of Yosuke. "Dude, broke into their house so you could crawl inside their flatscreen." After buying The TV, there had been no point keeping it for himself (there was absolutely no place to put it, though Yosuke had suggested Souji lose his futon and set up The TV in that corner), or his parents (who, moving around so much, didn't own a permanent residence). Which left his father's parents, who were only too delighted (though mystified) to hold on to Souji's TV until he could store it in a place of his own. They had an enormous collection of anime.

They got off at the next stop. Souji hadn't visited his grandparents in ages and the town had changed somewhat, but he found his way, walking two blocks down to a row of small, comfortable houses. His grandparents' lefthand neighbor, a middle-aged man sitting on the front lawn, carving a soap sculpture, gave the two boys a beady eye as they passed.

"That's just the kind of useless sack of carbon that calls the police when you don't need them," Yosuke muttered.

"We have every right to be here," Souji reminded him. "Well, I do. I guess you'll go to jail if we're caught."

"You keep running that mouth, I'm going to nail it shut." Yosuke shot a quick glance over his shoulder. "Okay, so where's this frog?"

Souji was looking for this frog. For as long as he could remember, a cast iron frog had crouched by his grandparents' door, bulgy-eyed with a wide, curving mouth in which the spare house key lay hidden. He could see a faint impression in the cement, right where the frog had always been, but...no frog.

Souji didn't mope over the loss. "Okay," he said. "Plan B."

"Damn," Yosuke groaned. "It's never good when you have to resort to Plan B." Wincing with apprehension, he followed Souji around the side of the house. "Do you have any ID on you? Something to prove you actually are their grandson?"

"I look just like Grandpa did at my age," Souji replied, stepping under the empty car port.

"We're gonna get caught. There are two prison jumpsuits tailor made for us." Yosuke tipped his head back, as if trying to address heaven through the car port's roof. "At least it's his fault this time, not mine. At least I can say that."

There was a window looking out onto the port. With a practiced twist, Souji pried it open. "Don't ask why I know how to do this."

"Dude, I am getting a full confession later."

Souji hoisted himself in. "All right, wait to hear if I scream... No, it's safe." Yosuke followed him, landing in the living room. Souji arched his eyebrow. "What'd I tell you? No problem."

"This is like old times." A slow smile spread across Yosuke's face as they approached The TV. The living room was only half lit, but the sunlight shown through the window, reflected on its wide, smooth surface. "Except we weren't breaking and entering back then." Yosuke looked around the room. "Whatever, let's see if Teddie's here."

They'd argued it over the rest of the night and most of the morning - where could Teddie have gone? No luck finding him on the campus, though they hadn't been able to search all of it. It had been Yosuke who had suggested the TV World, and Souji who suggested they enter it via The TV. Yosuke hadn't seen why - Teddie obviously hadn't gone in that way, so why should they? But they realized that they honestly didn't know how perfectly Teddie could come and go in the TV World, or even if he required a TV screen to enter.

"With something like this, we've got to go with what we know best," Souji had argued. "And over there, the one place we know best is where we first met Teddie."

Yosuke had given him a pained look and shaken his head. "You're right, I just - damn! Why does that bear never answer his cell?"

For a moment, Souji wondered if he'd lost the knack for walking into an electronic appliance. But he stuck his fist in, the screen rippled, and it all came back.

* * *

_3.20.16_

"Dammit, someone took our table."

"It can't be helped." Naoto sat at the first unoccupied table in the Junes food court.

"Big crowd, but it feels kinda quiet." Kanji sat across from her. "Guess it's 'cause Teddie's not here."

Naoto scanned the area. "Yes, it does feel rather empty without the others." With that, she squared her slight shoulders and regarded the small box in front of her. "You said nothing happened until you touched the actual flower?"

"Yeah." Kanji tightened his jaw. "I don't like this, Naoto."

"I assure you, I will be careful." Hesitating only a moment longer, Naoto removed the card, reading it softly aloud. "_To Naoto-kun: Still our Detective Prince._ Hmph." She set that aside, then placed both hands on the box's lid.

"Naoto," Kanji broke in, "we're all in danger, you said, us Persona-users. That Amada got killed because he was one of us. I don't care if this is a clue, it's not worth your life!"

Naoto paused and looked up at him. "Ken Amada died from blood loss and a ruptured lung, the natural byproducts of multiple stab wounds to the torso. As far as I can see, that flower didn't bring about your immediate demise."

Kanji clenched his fists, fighting the impulse to grab the box and throw it onto the nearest meat grill. With the soft whisper of cheap cardboard, Naoto pulled off the lid. There, nestled in blue tissue, was a white six-petaled flower.

"Okay," Kanji said, a bit shakily, "it's one of those flowers. You've seen it. Now throw it away."

Naoto poised her cellphone over the box, taking pictures from several angles.

"Okay," Kanji said more firmly. "Satisfied now?"

Naoto slid her phone back into her peacoat, still looking at the flower. "I'm going to pick it up, Kanji."

"Why?" Kanji's chair scraped back, and he almost jumped to his feet. "The hell are you trying to prove? "

"I cannot waste such a valuable clue." Naoto didn't shout, but her voice still managed to ride right over his. "Nor can I ask anyone else to do it. I feel the risk is minimal. You suffered no long-lasting ill effects from handling the flower, and while it is not certain, it seems logical that I should be equally safe."

"I don't care about what I didn't suffer!"

She held his gaze. "Pull yourself together, Kanji."

Kanji's next argument was cut short. He couldn't remember exactly when, but he knew he'd had to say the same thing once to Naoto during the murder investigation. He hadn't been able to take seeing her fall apart, not when she was the one who was always composed, always rational. Now, she was arguing without a tremor in her voice, but all he wanted was for her to back down.

"Maybe there _is_ something wrong with me," he said, his voice considerably calmer, though his heart was still pounding. "We just haven't seen it yet."

Naoto had rested her hands on the table, right in front of the box. "I had thought of that. I know there is a risk, but -" Some intensity in her eyes broke, but she blinked and was impassive again.

_But you're going to do it anyway. Same as when you set yourself up for Namatame. Because you're an idiot. An idiot with a smart job that makes you do asshatted shit like this. _Kanji watched as she lifted her right hand and extended it over the flower.

Swifter than thought, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, intent on forcing her arm away from the box. He blinked with momentary surprise at what he'd done, also at the unexpected softness of her skin - his muscles slackened - then her eyes narrowed and she slammed her palm down, squashing the flower. Kanji released her wrist. _Dammit._

Naoto, breathing much harder than she needed to, lifted her hand. The flower lay crumpled. She frowned. "Did crushing it stop the -"

Even as she spoke, the flower seemed to waver, flicker, then rose up into her palm. Naoto jerked her hand back, staring at it.

Kanji's throat felt tight. "Well? Did anything happen?"

Naoto folded and opened her hand, voice cautious and somehow rigid. "No. Just a bit of dizziness. As you said."

Kanji's throat unclosed itself. "You friggin idiot!" He stood and stalked away from the table, out of the food court.

* * *

_3.20.16_

"This is, without a doubt, the most beautiful patch of earth in the entire world. But I don't see Teddie."

"I'm not so sure this qualifies as _earth_." Souji sighed. He and Yosuke, lacking Rise's abilities, hadn't been able to penetrate deep into the TV World. It was empty of Shadows, but it was still easy to get lost. They'd searched, called Teddie's name, and - just for the unrivaled thrill of it - summoned their Personas. Souji felt a painful, pleasant stab in his chest as Izanagi-no-Okami flashed over him. He hadn't realized how acutely he'd missed seeing his Persona, even associated with all the terrible memories of that year. Yosuke whooped, spinning, Susano-o whirling above him.

"Hey, Souji! You up for a beat-down?"

"You want your metaphysical ass kicked?"

"What about those other Personas? Can you still summon them?"

It transpired that he couldn't; Izanagi's was the only card he could evoke. He hadn't dreamed of Igor and Margaret in years, that probably accounted for it. It was only a slight disappointment, as Izanagi-no-Okami was more than able to shellac Susano-o in single combat, healing magic notwithstanding.

But even with the furor caused by their battling Personas, Teddie didn't appear. Both boys returned from the TV World much grimmer than they'd come.

"What now?" Yosuke asked, pulling his leg out of the TV. "Do we trying asking the..." His voice trailed off as they both looked over to the living room window, the one connected to the car port.

A middle-aged man stared in at them, his already beady eyes beadier than ever. He held an amateurish soap sculpture in his left hand.

"Damage control," Yosuke said. And they rushed him.

* * *

_3.20.16_

_The last time I was here, everything was so different._

Mitsuru had visited her mansion on Yakushima every summer for the past seven years, often taking one or more of her SEES friends. Last year, she'd spent a long holiday with Yukari, Aigis, and...Akihiko. She couldn't say she'd forgotten all of her problems, but they'd been less powerful.

Now, no matter where she went or whom she drew around her, there was no escaping them.

Standing in the center of her opulent bedroom, she turned as the electric outlet on the other wall began to drip. Wincing, she set a cut glass bowl under it to catch the blood.


	8. Chapter 8

8.

_3.20.16_

When a certain Junes employee had passed for the third time in under two minutes, giving Naoto an_ Are you going to buy something or are you just sitting there to be cute?_ glare, she decided she'd better move on. There was no point in studying her hand, looking for any trace of the mysterious flower. She broke down the box and shoved it in her pocket, though she doubted it would yield more clues, then headed off in the direction Kanji had stalked down, glancing left and right for any sign of him.

She found him by the fountain, sitting on a bench, rubbing his face. When he saw her, he stood jerkily, hands in pockets. She expected a brusque apology, but she didn't get one. Annoyance flicked across her; she did not appreciate people grabbing her, no matter how good their intentions.

"So now what?" Kanji asked gruffly.

After the argument in the food court, Naoto felt deflated. To cover it, she pulled out her phone, which had been turned off. "Chie-senpai's been calling me. She's probably wondering why I keep insisting on meeting her and then don't show up. We must arrange for a different meeting place, I don't want to lead anyone to the Dojimas'." She put the phone to her ear, replaying the most recent messages. She felt Kanji watching her, but she didn't look up at him. In a moment, she wasn't thinking of Kanji at all.

Her eyes must've widened, because Kanji stepped towards her. "Now what?" Naoto waved at him to be quiet, replaying that message.

"Well," she said, lowering the phone to shoulder-level. "We no longer need to worry about leading the enemy to the Dojimas'."

"Shit - is anyone - "

"They are all fine, for the time being. In fact, Dojima-san and Nanako-chan are still unaware anything out of the ordinary occurred. But our friend...shall we call her Kampe?...dropped by."

"Psycho battlebot shows up and they don't see it as out of the ordinary?"

"She didn't reveal her Persona, and she gave Chie a flower, which was accepted. Chie called me as soon as she could."

"So now Chie's got this...this flower power too?"

"Flower power?"

"I dunno what else to call it!"

"Yes. And she too appears to be unharmed. As was _expected_."

"Naoto -" He bit it off and turned around.

"By all means," Naoto said, hoping she sounded more reasonable than simply cold, "address your complaint to me."

Kanji didn't turn around. He drummed his fingers against his leg. She could see the tension in his back, the faint light on his leather jacket. "We're in danger, and from what I can tell, you're the only one with half a clue what's going on. And you expect me to - to, what, sit back and be Watson while you risk your life? If you die, we're all going to hell, Naoto! This stupid flower shit - and - I - Damn."

Naoto put her hand on her hip, staring at the floor. She needed a moment to steady her voice, but steady it was. "This is my job. I would not presume to tell you how to knit a scarf."

"Knit a scarf my ass! Don't ask me to twiddle my thumbs while you - you - poke a flower that might end up killing you!"

Scarves and flowers. Naoto wished she could laugh. She couldn't really. She tipped her hat, drawing the brim lower over her face. It was part of why she'd started wearing hats in the first place, realizing they could hide things you didn't want seen. Kanji wasn't trained to do this, she told herself. He wasn't prepared to place solving a mystery before everything else, even safety. But then, she remembered, he'd put his own life on the line often enough. She really had no vantage to look down on him from.

"I felt it was my duty," she said softly. "If I was rude to you because of that, I apologize."

"Rude?" Kanji exhaled heavily and rubbed the back of his neck, rings winking in the overhead lights.

"I was..." With a jolt of irritation, Naoto realized that she was more upset than she'd thought. She schooled her voice, her words coming in the smooth clip of a professional P. I.. "I was perhaps too hasty in making my decision regarding the flower. I will consult with you more thoroughly in the future."

"'S'okay," Kanji answered, sounding weary. "So...what shit are we tearing up next?"

"With your permission, I will instruct Chie to meet us at your home."

"Sure." Kanji turned around, eyes averted. "We should get some food."

* * *

_3.20.16_

Chie had no trouble traveling at jog. Some people (say, Yosuke, though she had no particular reason to think about him) would be winded after the first few minutes, but she fell into a steady, mindless rhythm. If she didn't think about running, it would take longer for her muscles to notice how tired they were. She had no clue if there was any kind of science behind that, it had always just worked in the past.

After recovering from her sudden dizziness from the flower, after two more unanswered calls to Naoto, after a hasty, unexplained goodbye to Nanako, Chie had set off, and she'd been running for maybe five minutes when she sighted the woman who had made the delivery. She fought back the urge to speed up, choosing instead to conserve energy. A gun would've been nice right now, even as only something to brandish, but she hadn't even started training in shooting, let alone received her license.

The woman turned. Chie slid to a stop, legs braced. She expected the woman to smile or say something appropriately enigmatic, but her expression was blank.

"Hey," Chie said. "Just what was that flower?"

The woman's tone wasn't unfriendly, only flat. "It came from Elysion. You will see the fields soon."

Chie shifted her weight onto her left leg, ready to lead off with a kick at the first provocation. "Listen, I talked down a goddess, and she at least made sense."

"Two of your number have already died," the woman said in a monotone. Even at this distance, Chie could see her pupils contract. Her pupils were - dark brown? "It was regrettable that one was lost."

"Save your regrets, who have you hurt?"

"I will do my part to subdue you, though it is premature." And the woman raised her hand. "Persona!" A silver dragon-like figure surged into the air, then spun and shot down into Chie, piercing her through the chest. Chie gasped, and as the apparition vanished, she looked down at herself. No wound, no blood, just a burning pain throughout her torso.

Chie channeled her anger and fear into throwing her card into the air, smiting it with a high kick, and emitting a wordless shriek that ended on "Suzuka Gongen!" A black and silver figure whirled out of nothingness, diving at the woman. Not even waiting for the Persona to disperse, Chie rushed forward, delivering a hard kick to the woman's middle.

Her heel clanged against solid metal; pain shot up her leg; the woman stumbled back. Not waiting even to wonder, Chie summoned again. The woman fell under Suzuka Gongen's second assault. Faster than any human, she leapt to her feet, pivoted, and ran, her legs flashing.

Chie was left standing in the middle of the sidewalk, sweaty, leg smarting, chest painfully tight. After a moment, she blankly looked to either side. She saw no one except for a child in a house across the street, pressed against his front window. Experimentally, she called the blue card back into her hand. She realized her cell was ringing.

"H-hi?"

"Chie-senpai, it's -"

"Where've - _Where have you been?_ I just - I just - Suzuka Gongen - this woman, I attacked her, she gave me a flower, and then she ran off, and Suzuka Gongen was - I - I'm -" She had to talk over a sob in her throat. "I'm holding her card in my hand right now. She's here."

"Are you hurt?"

"No. Not really."

"I'm at Kanji-kun's. Meet me as soon as you can."

"You'd better actually be there for once, Ms. Detective Prince." With a small glimmer, Chie let the card vanish again. "I'll be right over."

* * *

_3.20.16_

_Are you there? I couldn't reach you for a while._

_I was...busy. I...damn, how long am I supposed to keep this up?_

_Be submissive and -_

_I don't care what you have to say! We have to get out of here._

_How? Do you even know where we are?_

_I - knowing what things look like is what I'm good at. What you're good at._

_I can map out the hallways and doorways of this building. I can even see where some of the ghosts are. But I have no idea what our geographical location is._

_Where did they pick you up?_

_My home, just outside of Tokyo._

_I was in California. No clues there, I guess. _

_I hope the ghosts find our friends. Soon. I know they'll come. And I'm...so tired...  
_

_Sheesh, aren't we supposed to be the ones who help them?_

_Try to be patient.

* * *

_

_3.20.16_

"And then what?" Chie asked, though she was a bit glassy-eyed by now.

Naoto was pacing the length of Kanji's front room, her two compatriots sitting on the sofa and giving her varying looks of apprehension.

"After Fuuka Yamagishi went missing, I decided to investigate her activity during 2009 and 10. And I found that she shared a dorm not only with Mitsuru Kirijo, but also Ken Amada."

"What?" Chie burst out. "But he wasn't old enough to be going to school with them." She frowned at Kanji, as though he'd professed some doubt. "I've had plenty of time to go over his info, I know how old he was."

"Yes, there were special provisions made for him by a member of Gekkoukan's school board. Aside from those three, five other students were registered at that dorm: Minato Arisato and Aigis Arisato, apparently unrelated; Yukari Takeba, Junpei Iori, and Akihiko Sanada. Two out of eight students likely Persona-users. I tried to link Yamagishi and the others to any definite Persona activity but came up empty-handed. Amada and Sanada were my only leads.

"By then it was February." Naoto paused in her pacing, and her gaze trailed off to the side, away from her friends. "That's where I worry I made a crucial error."

"Well?" Chie prompted. Kanji listened in silence, Beanbag in the crook of his arm.

"I had a decision to make: Seek out Ken Amada or see what information about the Kirijo Group I could dig up with my own hands. I chose the latter. If I'd chosen to warn Amada, he might be..." She shook her head. "Normally, I wait for clients to contact me, but in this case, I took the initiative and approached Mitsuru Kirijo under the pretense that I would try to help her find Yamagishi."

"Wasn't that kind of forward?" Chie asked dubiously. "You're usually more subtle than that."

Naoto glanced to the side, tucking her chin in. "I admit, it was below my standards. But I'm - fairly well-known as a detective - and -" Two pink patches bloomed under her eyes. "The Kirijos are known only to employ the best, and as I have an excellent record -"

"Go ahead and brag, Naoto," said Kanji. "You knew she'd hire you."

"I wasn't sure," Naoto retorted, as if determined to put a negative light on it. "And she didn't seem sure either, though I'd followed her all the way to the United States to see her. She'd been moving her entourage haphazardly for some time; there is considerable internal stress in the Kirijo Group. In the end, she did not hire me to find Yamagishi. She hired me to keep tabs on several of her underlings."

Kanji didn't put it as a question. "And you dug some shit up."

"I didn't even have to," Naoto answered dryly. "The group has secrets, and the second I started to brush against them, I found people who wanted to kill me. And when I shot them, they died but never bled."

"So this robotics group is being run by zombies," Kanji said, summing up.

"Robotics..." Chie blinked. "Like - Crap! You don't mean that woman I just fought off?"

"You're lucky she didn't turn her firearms on you," Naoto said. "She probably wanted to make as little noise as possible. They have a thing for hush jobs." She kneaded her forehead under her hat band. "As far as I can see, the Kirijo Group is not entirely comprised of...creatures of a persuasion other than human."

"_Zombies_ works just as good," Kanji mentioned.

"They have human emotions and concerns." She glanced down. "But they seem more reckless than the average criminal, and, though they show no outward sign of it, they appear to have no blood or viscera."

"Viscera?"

"Guts," Naoto supplied. She looked away again. "I don't know a doctor I trust well enough to hand any cadavers over to. And I - am unequal to thoroughly dissecting them myself." She spoke more quickly. "Based on other information gleaned from my encounters, they also appear to possess superhuman hearing, perhaps smell. They are as blind as humans in the dark though."

Kanji caught her slight smile. "Bastards couldn't even see a chair coming right at 'em."

"And they're looking for us Persona-users." Chie shook her head. "They've_ found_ us Persona-users. What are the flowers about? And that place the robot chick mentioned?

Naoto pulled out her phone and studied it. "I looked up the word Kampe told you. Elysion, or Elysium, is a mythological region of the Greek underworld, the final resting place of heroes."

"So that robot was threatening senpai." Kanji stood, Beanbag settling himself more comfortably. "Not surprising."

"But...that makes it sound kind of like heaven," Chie said after a moment. "That's not really threatening."

"It's still saying you're gonna die soon."

"Yeah, but wouldn't someone that hardcore tell me I was going to hell? You don't think -" She sprang to her feet. "You don't think the flowers are going to somehow kill us?"

"We know nothing about the flowers, what they are, what they mean," Naoto replied. "I have a theory."

"Since when?" Kanji demanded.

"Well..." She backed away from both of them, for elbow room rather than fear. Swallowing a bubble of nervousness, she held out her hand, palm up.

A blue card sparkled into being. Naoto grabbed it out of the air, flipping it to see the image of her Persona, Yamato Takeru. She smiled, relieved and happy - and weak for a moment. And then sobered, dismissing the card. "From what I can tell, our enemy wants us to be able to evoke our Personas. I don't know how or if the flowers facilitate that, but they are a common factor among the three of us."

"Shoot, should I call Yukiko?" Chie asked suddenly. "What if she's gotten a flower? No, if she has, I'm sure she's already tried to put it in a vase or something!"

"Perhaps you should warn her. It's true that by accepting our Personas, we may be playing in to our enemies' hands," Naoto said.

"Sure," Kanji said abruptly, "but Rokuten Maoh was all that saved the two of us last night. And Chie-senpai would be captured or dead without Suzuka Gongen. There's no point walking into this fight empty-handed."

"Yeah." Chie put her fists on her hips, though there was still doubt in her eyes. "If it leads our enemies to us, then - we'll keep our enemies close, and our Personas closer." But she flinched with worry again. "Oh no, what if they've come after Yukiko?" Without consulting either of them, she opened her phone and called, chewing her lip as she waited for an answer.

"Yukiko, it's - Yeah?" She fell silent for a long time. "...A flower...I was worried about this. Naoto, Kanji and I got them too. Damn, this is going to take a lot of explaining."

* * *

_3.20.16_

"It doesn't matter what he says. No one will believe him."

"Yeah, but they'll wonder why he was tied up in your grandparents' car port. With a garden hose. What if someone else saw us?"

The two boys fell silent and tried to look unremarkable as a mother and her children made their way up the train aisle.

"It was worth the risk," Souji said, turning to look out the window. "We have to keep searching until we find Teddie. And then we can deal with our bloody electricity. And then we can worry about minor altercations with the police."

"Yeah, I'm not arguing." Yosuke sighed, staring at the ticket in his hand: one way to Yasoinaba station.


	9. Chapter 9

9.

_3.20.16_

Yukari crossed her arms, gathering her resolve. It was stupid, she realized, that she'd only taken to consciously crossing her arms in times of stress after meeting Mitsuru. Mitsuru fell habitually into that posture, arms crossed, hip just slightly cocked, legs apart, carrying herself with elegance and command. Yukari, as much as she had initially disliked Mitsuru, had always admired her stage presence. On occasion, she'd adopted it as best she could, whenever she felt she had to look calm and in control.

So now, hesitating outside Mitsuru's suite in her Yakushima mansion, she found herself crossing her arms, talking herself up to the point where she could knock. _This is ridiculous,_ she decided. _I don't need to take it like this._ And she uncrossed her arms, letting one fist knock boldly against the door.

"Come in."

Yukari did so, and she would have regardless of what Mitsuru had said. Mitsuru, sitting at her desk by a sun-flooded window, looked up, her eyebrows arching.

Yukari knew she looked tense; there was no point trying to hide it. "You said you wanted me to come with you for company," she said, her voice rising with its old challenging note. "And that's what I've tried to be. But we haven't talked, not once since we left Japan. Since Akihiko went into hiding."

Mitsuru flinched so quickly Yukari wouldn't have noticed without looking for it. "This isn't simply a vacation," Mitsuru clipped. "I've been making my rounds of the international branches to -"

"In case you didn't notice, Mitsuru, we're _home_. Vacation's over. I'm not going to sit back and smile for you anymore."

Mitsuru, whose hands had been folded on an open binder, straightened in her chair, posture perfect. "You're free to return to Port Island then."

"Don't dismiss me like I'm some damn employee! What's going on?" Blinking hard, she stepped around the desk and didn't stop until she'd reached Mitsuru's side.

"Do you expect me to tell you?" Mitsuru snapped, brown eyes - wet?

Yukari might have felt guilty for hurting her, but not right now. This was a fight, no less crucial than any in Tartarus, and Yukari rarely avoided an advantage. Not when a friend's well-being was at stake. "Just maybe. Or do you like dragging yourself all over the world, looking miserable? What's wrong with you?"

"Yukari -"

"Sometimes I feel like I don't know you anymore! Why did you run away from Japan? I can't believe you didn't even try to find Akihiko, after what he did. And why are you still wearing his ring?"

Mitsuru closed her left hand, the diamond glittering out of direct sunlight.

"Don't look away from me," Yukari went on. "That's all you've been doing, looking away and running. You haven't done a thing for the Kirijo Group this year, not what you'd been planning to do. Is that what your father taught you to do? Huh? No, I thought you'd gotten over that. And Akihiko, and the rest of your friends, you won't see any of them - I'm surprised you let me come at all!"

"Yukari!" Mitsuru was breathing roughly, eyes shut hard for a moment.

Yukari closed her mouth, straightening; at some point, she'd bent over Mitsuru. Sometimes she felt she would have rather seen anyone but Mitsuru cry. Mitsuru was the strong admirable one. Yet if Mitsuru hadn't cried all those years ago by a red riverbank, Yukari might never have become her friend.

Mitsuru didn't let herself cry now. Her arms were folded tight against her stomach; she stared across the room. Her eyes were glittering, her cheeks flushed, but her jaw was set.

Yukari took a deep breath and spoke, though part of her wanted to relent. "What's going on?"

Abruptly, Mitsuru drew several strands of hair out her face. "You can go home, Yukari."

Yukari stamped her foot. "That's not what I want! I don't want you shutting yourself off to everyone."

Mitsuru swallowed, jerkily turned her face to Yukari. Her eyelids were raw and red, and when she opened her mouth to speak, her lips shook for a moment. "Everything's fine."

* * *

_3.20.16_

Rise picked at the hem of the studio-issued miniskirt she'd been wearing for the past two days. She'd probably worked a half inch off that section, though she could only tell by feel. Ridiculous that Kanzeon could penetrate a fog-shrouded alternate dimension, but Rise couldn't find her way through a pitch black room. Ridiculous that Kanzeon had no power to break the manacle that held Rise's right wrist to the wall.

Her stomach growled, and Rise mentally swore. If she was hungry, it probably meant it was time for the ghosts to bring her some food. And compel her to track the movements of her friends before she could eat. And then perhaps Fuuka would contact her again, urge her to capitulate so that the two of them could be rescued. Gritting her teeth, she brought her knees up and rested her forehead against them. _Fuuka-san could be lying to me too. She could be on their side to begin with. I can't betray the others again._ Once, afraid and ravenously hungry, she'd used Kanzeon to seek out Naoto, whom the ghosts seemed particularly interested in tracking. The ghosts had fed her, had left her, but what relief Rise felt was swallowed by a hideous guilt and fear. Lately, the ghosts had been demanding she find Souji. From what she could tell, they'd lost him and were eager he should be recovered.

"You can't have my senpai," she muttered. Bolstered by the sound of her own voice, she threw back her head. "I don't care if you're ghosts or Izanami or Hanako freakin' Ohtani! Senpai is not up for grabs!" She fell silent, as if expecting to hear a multitude of ghosts banging on the door, violent with indignation. After a moment, she closed her eyes, Kanzeon scanning the area. Nobody was nearby. Should she contact Fuuka?

What for? Fuuka wasn't interested in escaping.

Rise reached around to work at the manacle with her free hand. She already knew its every inch, and she already knew it lacked any seam, or spring, or weak link that she could perceive. Still, she continued to search.

_C'mon, Rise. The damsel in distress bit is only romantic up to a certain point.

* * *

_

_3.20.16_

Yosuke didn't say it aloud, but pulling into Yasoinaba Station gave him his second wind. There was something heartening in returning to the place of their shared victories. Teddie had been lost then too, but they had found him. They could do it again.

If Teddie hadn't royally screwed things up.

Yosuke followed Souji out of the station to the bus stop, stretching his legs. There wasn't any reason to think Teddie had come here, but at least they'd reunite with the others, or some of them. Rise was in America, and who knew what Naoto was ever up to? But Yosuke had been through enough to know that once he, Souji, Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji put their heads together, they were bound to come up with a plan. Plan might be useless as King Moron's orthodontist, but it would be a plan.

A short bus ride later, they were standing side by side in Inaba's shopping district. "All right," Yosuke said, flipping his cell open with a dramatic flick of his wrist, "time to muster the troops." And he dialed Chie's number. "The hell, her phone's off? She never turns it off, not even for class." Staring down at the phone, as if trying to decide whether or not it was an impostor, he frowned and switched to Yukiko's number.

"Her cell's off too," Souji said, already calling Kanji.

Yosuke watched Souji's forehead tense with frustration, then asked, "What's wrong with them? Did they all take a vow of silence or something?" Not answering, Souji narrowed his eyes, thinking. "Now what, we break and enter their houses too? Kidnap them?"

"Let's try Uncle," Souji said. "If something's wrong, he might know."

"Dude, he never knows. When have we ever told him anything?" But Yosuke had no better plan, so he didn't even wait for Souji as he set off at a run for the Dojimas', Souji catching up.

* * *

_3.20.16_

"When will this day end?" Chie groaned, sliding back against her train seat. "I feel like it's been going on for weeks." Then she shook herself. "No, there's no point complaining. C'mon guys, any brainstorms?"

Yukiko, having joined this quaint mission the latest, still had the energy to think. She sat next to Chie, head inclined, her shoulder-length black hair threaded with light from the sunset beyond the train window. Naoto, also by the window, gazed at some point beyond Yukiko, most of her face shaded by her cap. Her mouth was grim. Once, Chie noticed her rest her hand against the outside of her right thigh, undoubtedly checking her gun. Kanji, facing Chie herself, stared into the aisle, either deep in thought or the next best thing to dozing. His arms were crossed, legs splayed, almost taking up all of Chie's space. She kicked his foot. "A little room, okay?"

Kanji scrunched himself up. "Sorry."

"I wonder if Souji-kun and the others have had trouble," Yukiko mused. "But then, wouldn't they have called?"

"Well, we do have our cells off," Chie said pointedly. "Because _someone_ said we couldn't be interrupted while planning our next step. Which I don't see anyone doing."

"Lay off, she's the professional," Kanji said.

"Thank you, Kanji-kun," Naoto said, not turning. "And I _am_ planning. But I'd rather none of us talk just now. I think we're being followed again, and you'll remember what I said about superhuman hearing."

Chie clenched her fists, hating the idea of nearby enemies that she couldn't...chastise. "You're being followed again? You have _got_ to stay off trains."

The train ride was almost over, which would leave them at Iwatodai Station. They'd arrive too late to catch one of the ferries, so Naoto had already made reservations at a hotel - not, she assured the others, one that Ms. Kashiwagi would care to frequent. Perhaps they could lose their pursuit at the station. But none of them felt hopeful enough to suggest it.

"We're all irritable," Naoto said. "It's understandable. It's been a difficult day."

"And not much chance of it getting any easier?" Kanji asked, though he seemed to already know the answer. "No problem. Just let me know when the skulls need to be smashed in."

"Let's just...sit quietly for the time being," Yukiko said, glancing behind her. Out of the four, she was the only one who hadn't needed to fight for her life in the last twenty four hours. It seemed increasingly likely that that would change.

* * *

_3.20.16_

Ryotaro Dojima stumbled towards his sitting room that evening. Though he'd slept for ten hours straight, he still felt as though an elephant were sitting on top of his sinuses. He hadn't checked his cell phone, wouldn't look at the news. He didn't want to hear the name Amada for another hour, at least. Then he could get back to work. Now, right now, was it too much to hope for a nice meal?

"And you have no idea where she went?"

Pain, like a tiny hammer, plinked Dojima right between the eyes. That voice...Was that the Hanamura kid? What was he doing here?

"No. Chie just took off. I don't know what that visitor said to her." That was Nanako, at least that much was clear.

"Maybe there was some crime they wanted her to look into?" Was that Souji talking?

"Will you give me a break? She's not a policeman, she's a receptionist. Knowing her, she's gone headfirst into some kind of wild goose chase, taking Yukiko and Kanji with her."

"Well," said Nanako, whose voice was the only one Dojima wanted to be hearing, "maybe, but she'd been waiting here for Naoto. And she never showed up either."

"Wait, Naoto's in Inaba?" Hanamura asked. "Maybe something really _is_ up."

"Yeah," Souji said, almost before Hanamura was done. "Chie I could see running off into trouble, but Yukiko's more careful than that. And if Naoto's behind it, they're probably all together."

"Amazing deduction," Hanamura drawled. "Now where _are_ they?"

"Any ideas, Nanako-chan?"

"Well, Chie ran down the street, not up."

"Dunno anyone who lives down there," said Hanamura. "Dammit. What's that idiot up to?"

"Let's hunt around town," Souji said. "See what clues we can find."

Dojima's weary brain kicked into gear just as he heard the door slam. "Hey - boys! What are you doing here?" He rushed into the living room.

"Hi, Dad," Nanako said. She was the only one left. "I was just going to start dinner. What would you like?"

* * *

_3.20.16_

"Do you see them?" Chie whispered.

"Stay calm," Naoto said. "Don't look back. If our pursuit doesn't know we're aware of them, we still have an advantage."

The four made their way through the circles of brightness cast by the streetlamps at Iwatodai Station. Naoto knew the area well, even at night, and she did her best to lead them quickly to their destination. There were several hotels of varying quality near the train station, the streets cluttered with commuters, travelers, and locals greeting visitors. Naoto glanced back to see that her friends were keeping up - and to glance farther off, to see if those two women really were following them - but she couldn't see them - before turning into one of the small hotels.

The others caught up with her at the front desk, where the receptionist was checking her computer. Naoto heard Yukiko _tsk_ softly, probably unimpressed with the lobby's décor.

"Suzuki-san, two rooms, one night..." The receptionist glowered, poring over a long list of reservations made under the name Suzuki. "Yes." Naoto passed over one of her undercover credit cards, and after a moment, the receptionist returned it along with two more cards. "Second floor, lefthand hall."

They followed Naoto in silence until they were halfway up the staircase. Then Kanji cleared his throat, sounding like a small duck deprived of air. "Two rooms?"

"Duh," Chie said. "A single and a triple. One for the girls and one for the boy."

"Oh." Kanji began to breathe again. "Okay."

"Boys," Naoto corrected. "The enemy still assumes I'm male, and I'd rather not disillusion them."

Kanji and Chie cried out simultaneously. At the head of the stairs, Naoto waited until she was sure she wasn't blushing, then made herself turn around and look at them. Kanji, red-cheeked, was staring at her, totally aghast. Yukiko's eyes were wide, and Chie looked as though she wanted to punt some decency into the Detective Prince.

"Can't this wait until we're inside?" Naoto asked. "I'm not certain we're in the clear yet. In fact, I'll be surprised if we are." Without waiting for the others, she stalked down the lefthand hallway, checking the room numbers on the cards. They were adjacent, as she'd specified. She stopped at the first, swiped the card under the lock, then handed it to Chie, who'd recovered first, then held the door open.

Chie pocketed the pass key and led the way inside. As he went in, Kanji didn't look in Naoto's direction, still flushed.

"Ideally," Naoto said, once they were all within and the door was shut, "I'd have only rented one room. But I'm afraid that might excite too much comment, even in the city. Our pursuit will assume we've stopped for the night, so they'll be checking the hotels. We need to stay alert and together."

Chie raised her eyebrows. "You're really...broad-minded about this."

Naoto blushed, but her voice was authoritative. "We're on a job, that is all."

Chie quirked a smile. "Anything goes as long as it helps solve the case? Okay, I'll file that away for my first investigative job. I'll say, 'Anything goes. The Great Detective Prince taught me that. So I want all you policemen to put on yellow track suits and follow me!'"

"If you're done," Naoto said, "I suggest we get some rest. Our ferry leaves at 5:30 tomorrow morning. Though, given what we're up against, I doubt any of us will sleep too soundly."

"Uh," Kanji managed, "Naoto, are you sure about -" But she was already leaving. Swallowing, he followed her out into the hallway.

Naoto immediately swiped their pass key and opened the door, but she neither entered nor looked up at him. "I'm going for a walk."

Kanji stared at the room, then her. "You're going investigating, you mean?" He squared his shoulders. "Might as well come with you."

"No." She still didn't look up. "It's better if I go alone. I won't be long." Without arguing further, she turned and walked swiftly down the hall, back to the stairs.

* * *

_3.20.16_

Kanji decided, all things considered, it would be best to already be asleep by the time Naoto returned. He took the bed closer to the door, turned out the light, wrapped himself up, and willed himself to sleep. The digital clock on the wall read 8:30, six hours before his customary bedtime. That was bad enough, but the thought of Naoto walking in at any moment, going to sleep in that other bed...only two feet away... Kanji squeezed his eyes shut and hoped he wouldn't nosebleed. Or snore. From the other room, he could hear Chie and Yukiko talking, though he couldn't distinguish the words.

Two hours had passed, and he'd settled into a light doze when he heard the door open and shut. Cracking one eye, he saw Naoto cross the dark room, then out of his line of sight. He closed his eye and prayed morning would come soon, otherwise something would happen, something would have to happen, he'd say or do something he'd forever regret.

He heard an electronic beep, then Naoto's voice, very soft. "Grampa?" A short silence. "Yes, still alive. I'm with my friends." Another pause. "Yes...Yes. I'll see if I can visit, though I'm a bit busy. Of course. Good night, then. I love you." Another beep, then rustling as Naoto shrugged off her coat and got into the other bed. How long would it take her to fall asleep? Kanji had no idea when it would be safe to start breathing again.


	10. Chapter 10

10.

_3.21.16_

Mitsuru crept out of bed, pulling on her light, kimono-like robe. A crystal pitcher stood on her dresser, and she poured herself a tall glass, knocking back half of it in one shot. It was still cold enough to leave her throat aching. She glanced at the clock - quarter to three - then at the nearest outlet. There was a thin, spider-leg trickle of blood. Dragging her disheveled hair out of her face, she stepped onto the balcony. There was no moon, no breeze, the air as cold and heavy as a fog. She retreated inside, walking through her bedroom, into the next room over, the study. After four hours of trying, she still hadn't managed to sleep. Surely there must be a better use of her time.

Her argument with Yukari had scattered her thoughts; the binder she'd been studying still lay open on her desk. Setting her glass on a marble coaster, she sat, turned on the desk lamp, and began to reread. Phrases jumped out at her, making little impression on her tired mind.

_...due to her negligence, Amada was able to force a confrontation...no choice but to obliterate him...Though we suffer the loss of Kala-Nemi, enough Personas remain..._

Mitsuru covered her face with both hands, then kneaded the corners of her eyes with slow, circular motions. She'd done with crying. All her crying had changed nothing. She could cry later, if she must. She just had to get through this moment. Presently she'd be able to keep reading.

There was a knock at the door, the one that opened onto the hallway. Somehow they always knew when she was awake. Mitsuru sat up, folding the front of her robe closer to her throat, then tapped the small remote that unlocked the door. "Enter."

One of her employees stepped in. "Ms. Kirijo."

"Yes?"

"I have new information from - " He gave a strange, strangled cry and reeled back, face parallel with the ceiling. As she rose, Mitsuru heard a sudden soft snap, and then the man's head flopped from the side, loose on the hinge of his broken neck. He stumbled forward and fell limply to the floor, shoved out of the way by his assailant.

"Was that another one of those creatures? I'm surprised he didn't hear me," the arrival said. He stood in the doorway, not approaching, grim and uncertain. After he'd killed one of her employees, he seemed at a loss what to say. But she saw that his black fists were clenched.

Mitsuru made herself speak, though she was afraid any movement would cause him to attack. She held on to the edge of her desk. "You shouldn't be here."

"That's unimportant," the man shot back. With a quick decision, he stepped into the room and closed the door. "I don't know why you're doing this. No reason is good enough." He came halfway across the room, falling silent, waiting for her answer. So often, she'd had an answer.

Her voice was heavy, taut with fear. "You're here to stop me?"

"No one has a better right!" He pulled his own voice back from a shout. "I don't say that as your - friend, or even your former friend, or anything else. I say that because I'm the last person alive who really knows you."

Mitsuru looked away. She remembered Yukari's words, that she was always looking away. She managed to lift her eyes to him again.

For the first time, she saw hesitation in his face. "Why are you cowering?" he demanded. "You've never cowered in your life. Let alone from me," he added, rather bitter.

She lifted her hand, extending it towards him, then let it drop back to her side. "Aki."

He looked at her hand, then up at her face. "You never used to call me 'Aki' either. Always my full name."

The only change in her expression was that she was more tired. "I always wanted to."

He shifted his weight. "...Why did you send your men after me? You could have taken me out yourself." His eyes narrowed. "I didn't think you'd delegate a favor to a friend."

She flinched at the sarcasm. "I didn't want to hurt you, but -" She broke off.

He was silent a long moment. "What's going on? Why are you cringing like this?" He pressed his lips together, obviously torn between two lines of thought. Almost reluctantly, he asked, "Are you in danger?"

Mitsuru crossed her arms, but it was defensive, not commanding. "Would you help me if I were?"

"Mitsuru -" He took a step towards her, fists still clenched, worry around his eyes. "You didn't want to hurt me? So who gave the order? Since when have you let someone else lead you around?"

Mitsuru searched his eyes. Then she took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and opened her mouth to speak. A small cry stabbed the back of her throat, she flinched again, and brought her hands to her face. "Just - leave. Before I call someone."

She didn't cry. It was merely a shield to hide behind, and she waited for him to go. For several moments, she didn't hear anything. Then she felt the soft brush of his fingers against the back of her hand, as if to pull them away from her face. She felt the air shift as he drew his hand quickly back, turned, and left.

* * *

_3.21.16_

_Well now...this is intriguing._

The King of the TV World had seen many strange things: bizarre Shadows...strip clubs made from the human brain...college parties. He had no precise idea where he was, yet he didn't feel particularly alarmed.

He hadn't been perturbed when he'd seen the light shining through the electrical outlet in his room at The Dorm. He'd been half awake, but even at his most alert, he probably wouldn't have hesitated long before approaching it. He had crept out of his beanbag chair, padded across the room, and placed his hand to the light.

The next thing he knew, he was - here.

Teddie turned in a slow circle. The sky was a warm gold, half covered with sudsy clouds. A balmy, fragrant wind blew across him, sending the tall sprays of flowers into a rocking dance. The flowers were white and six-petaled.

The inhuman part of him told him that someone else was in these meadows, out of sight. In a bit, he'd go and look for her.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Naoto stretched before she was entirely awake, her lower back stiff. She blinked, now aware of the soft tattoo of rain on the roof. Her eyes met a gray ceiling - yes, the hotel. She rolled over to face the other bed, wariness making her blush for a moment.

Even in the dim light, she could see that Kanji was face-down in his pillow, one hand dangling to the floor, dead asleep. She smiled, glad he'd gotten some rest. When she'd come in last night, she'd been able to tell he wasn't sleeping, (the fact that he'd been hardly breathing was a giveaway) and she somehow hadn't felt comfortable dropping off while he was still awake. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, it was just...what if she'd fallen asleep and he'd rolled over and watched her? Not that she thought he would, but what if he did?

As she was doing now. Naoto sat up and looked at her watch. Quarter after four. Perfect. She silently made her way to the diminutive bathroom to take a cold shower. Infiltrating the heart of the Kirijo Group wouldn't be easy, and she'd take every advantage. Showers always helped.

She was fixing her tie when she walked back in. Kanji snorted and rolled onto his back. Then his eyes focused, he saw her, and he went perfectly still, eyes round.

Naoto's brows angled down. She'd never understood why she sometimes upset Kanji. She'd clearly done something, inadvertently insulted him, created some bad impression, but it must have been right around their first meeting; Kanji had acted odd around her for as long as she'd known him. Still, he was a good friend, she knew she could rely on his support in this, so she'd overlook his behavior. She sat on the edge of her bed, reaching to pull on her shin-high boots. "Good morning, Kanji-kun. You should get ready. We'll want to go soon. Did you sleep well?"

Kanji cleared his throat. His answer was rather suave, for him. "Just fine. You?"

"Yes, thank you." She smoothed her trouser legs over her boots. All the preparation Kanji seemed to require was to sit up, kick off the cover, run his hands through his hair, and find his boots.

"So what'd you learn last night?" He reached down under the bed, coming back with one shoe.

"I saw no sign of our pursuit. And I made contact with Souji and Yosuke, though I'll go into that more when the others are here. Speaking of which, I'll make sure they're awake."

It was still dark and drizzly when she went outside, taking the few steps to the other door and knocking. She thought she heard a groan, then Chie saying something, then some fumbling at the door. And then the door opened on Yukiko's bleary face, her hair disheveled.

"Come _on_, Yukiko," Chie was saying. "We don't have all the time in the world." She was already dressed, hair combed, greaves strapped on. For the first time, Naoto noticed that she had several bright stickers stuck on the left greave. She wondered if Chie's leg still hurt.

Muttering something about this hotel having "as much ambiance as a school locker", Yukiko shambled towards the bathroom as Naoto stepped in and closed the door. "She had a bad night," Chie said, nodding towards the bathroom. "Don't blame her, these beds are all lumps." She caught Naoto's gaze and raised her eyebrow. "So, did you sleep...well?"

Naoto frowned at the careful tone in her friend's voice. "Yes, I did."

Chie nodded and shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Yeah, I thought so. I mean, I guess you can trust Kanji-kun. Now, if it'd been Yosuke - that_ jerk_ - I would've been more worried about you."

Naoto knew she was blushing like a begonia. "You don't have to worry about that!" She turned around, paced to the door, then felt composed enough to face her friend again. "Chie, you must understand, I am on a job. Common modes of...conventionality don't necessarily apply."

"I get that," Chie said quickly. "I just felt - you know." She looked part amused, part embarrassed. "You and Kanji - Never mind, I have no clue what I'm talking about."

"I am on a job, not a vacation. Thus, sleeping arrangements are determined by safety and efficiency, nothing else. It has nothing to do with Kanji," Naoto argued, speaking honestly but not steadily. "That is - I would have shared a room with Yosuke had the need arisen. Or Souji. Or -" She broke off. "...I...would have gotten another room for Teddie."

"Okay, okay! I understand. In fact I - I really admire you for that, you know?" Chie smiled sheepishly. "Me, I'd be spazzing out. 'Oh no, there's a guy in this room, what if something happens?' I wish I could keep my cool like you. It's amazing."

"Hm," Naoto said. It was unfortunate that praise so often made her feel like some kind of oddity.

They grabbed a breakfast they could eat while walking and made their way to the docks, talking as they went. The rain had finally dissipated.

"So we've shaken the people who were following us?" Chie said. "Go us."

"For now," Yukiko said. "It sounds as though they're good at keeping track of us."

"What did our senpai say?" Kanji asked, still using the old honorific for his upperclassmen.

Naoto took a tentative sip of her tea, then a longer one. "Teddie's missing." The girls' eyes widened, and Kanji winced. "We should assume he's in the hands of the enemy. Souji and Yosuke spent all of yesterday looking for him, even going into the TV World. I told them to meet us on Yakushima as soon as possible." She fell silent. According to her contacts, Mitsuru Kirijo had holed herself up in her island home. Just as she had last month, Naoto felt she had to strike at the heart of the issue - the Kirijo Group itself. This time, she would be certain it yielded information.

Even though she was almost certain the Kirijo Group was her enemy.

_But Amada, Yamagishi, Sanada, they were Mitsuru Kirijo's old dormmates. Why does she want to harm them? At the very least, it seems she wants to control us. How did she find out about us eight? Where has she hidden Rise-chan?_

"Did the boys receive any flowers?" Yukiko asked.

"No, they didn't know anything about them."

"It's probably only a matter of time before Kampe or someone catches up to them," Chie said grimly. "They are too damn efficient in that group."

"Break a few legs and see how efficient they are then," Kanji said, looking ahead both figuratively and literally.

"Do you think we'll be facing more of those Persona robots?" Chie wondered. "Or maybe those bloodless, gutless things? Or actual humans? Well, whoever they are, they'll get what's coming to them." Out of nowhere, she did a high kick. "Hwa taiiii!"

The four of them paused in the middle of a square. Several early commuters slowed down to stare at Chie.

"Heh," she said, bright red. "Heh heh. Let's...walk."

* * *

_3.21.16_

Rise closed her eyes, opening her mind to Kanzeon. Someone was approaching her cell. Not a human, she could sense that instantly. And not a Shadow. She hadn't felt a single Shadow for four years now. The ghosts' essences were harder to perceive, being human, but lacking in some way Rise couldn't define. She felt something crucial, something deeply familiar was absent in each of them.

But she didn't sense a ghost either. The presence was like a Shadow or a Persona, held a trace of humanity, but also had the implacability of clockwork. _One of those dolls, huh? Are the ghosts feeling too guilty to starve me now? Going to get a robot to do their dirty work? _

She'd only seen one automaton so far, made to resemble a young woman with a long green braid. To Rise's amazement, the doll had a Persona, a white, cybernetic peacock named Argos: an artificial tracking Persona along the lines of Kanzeon or Fuuka's Juno. Curious and unable to hide it, Rise had allowed them to test Argos against Kanzeon. Argos had been nearly blind in comparison, unable to track movement beyond a twenty meter radius. Rise hadn't thought much of the doll and hadn't been afraid to say so.

"Take her away," one of the ghosts had said, gesturing to the robot. "Send her back to the lab."

"Why does your doll look like a hot girl?" Rise had taunted. "You're all really lonely, aren't you?"

She hadn't been fed in seven hours.

Now she sensed a robot halt in front of her door. There was a series of mechanized beeps, the clank of gears and weights shifting, and then the door to her cell swung open, offering a shaft of light across the darkness. The robot's blonde hair fell to her chin, her blue eyes glowing faintly. "Are you Rise-san?"

Rise raised her eyebrows, not even noticing the honorific. The green-haired robot hadn't spoken at all. This automaton's voice was very clear, less inflected than a human's. "Shouldn't you already know?" Rise said. "You've kept me here long enough to know my name. And I'm not telling you anything, so you might as well leave."

The robot tipped her head - a small movement that struck Rise as unabashedly human. Then she raised her arm and the tapered tips of her fingers fell away to reveal five gun barrels.

* * *

_3.21.16_

The robot tapped softly down the halls of the Kirijos' Yakushima residence, making her way to Mitsuru Kirijo's suite, the fine wood doors that led to the study. She was stopped by two bodyguards, who had only been placed there that morning.

"Excuse me," the robot, she of the Persona Kampe, said. "I request permission to enter."

"Ms. Kirijo gave orders not to be disturbed," said one of the bodyguards. "You'll have to wait.'

There was a faint whirring as Kampe processed this, reshuffled her orders. "She wished to know the status of the Persona-users. It has been confirmed that another has left this life."


	11. Chapter 11

11.

_3.21.16_

"Damn, even the basements here are five-star roomy. Must be nice to be rich." Crossing his arms behind his head, Junpei leaned back against the cool cement wall. He didn't expect laughter in response, but someone had to lighten the mood. And that, among other things, was Junpei's forte.

But he didn't get any response, not even the glare he'd been anticipating. Reluctantly, he switched tact. "So, senpai, what's our next step?"

Akihiko had ceased pacing a few minutes ago, slumping down against the opposite wall. He looked up, arms folded on his knees. "We wait."

"We wait without discussing our plans?" Last night, Akihiko had said he was going to kill Mitsuru while Junpei covered his escape. Junpei had been alarmed, upset, but he'd recognized the necessity of killing their old friend before they'd even sneaked into the Yakushima mansion. He hadn't tried to argue long. Despite agreeing to help Akihiko, he wasn't surprised his senpai had been unable to carry out his mission. He didn't dare ask what had happened or why Mitsuru had let him leave. Not just yet.

Akihiko still hadn't answered. Junpei's tone was leading. "From what we've seen, the Kirijo mooks don't know we're still here." The mansion had been built in the 1890s, and in many ways remained old fashioned. The upper rooms and galleries were under limited surveillance, and many of these basement rooms hadn't been touched in a decade.

Akihiko sighed. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew his Evoker and turned it over in his hands. "They never did. I don't think she told them."

"That's...good." That was odd. Mitsuru had already staked herself against them. She had to know she was giving them the chance to escape. Or to strike again. Still, he kept it light. "And the two bouncers outside of her door will be a cakewalk. That is..." Junpei rolled his palm over the hilt of his katana. He'd always said he wanted another excuse to use the thing, and now this... He studied Akihiko, then stood, crossed the room, and sat along the other wall, careful not to look at him. "We still taking Mitsuru down?"

Akihiko didn't look at him either. "That's my job."

* * *

_3.21.16_

Yukiko didn't usually mind Chie's restiveness, but now she opened her phone just so she wouldn't have to look at the other girl bouncing on her feet. No messages from Souji or Yosuke. Naoto had apparently called them early in the morning, just to make sure they weren't kidnapped, but aside from that, the boys were silent. Her lips pursed. She'd feel better once they were here, not merely for Souji's steadiness and Yosuke's determination; she wanted to know they were safe. And Teddie... She blinked quickly. Even if the bear was a pervert and a serial ramen-snatcher, she wanted him to be safe too.

"Almost there." Chie went on tip-toe, hand shading her eyes, the other grasping the ferry's railing as she leaned over. "That beach is gorgeous. Look at those huge trees! But I...don't see any mansions."

"They're on the other side of the island," Naoto said, leaning against the railing. Her head was down, cap brim low on her face. Even her collars were turned up.

"That makes sense." Yukiko stowed her phone. "If all the commerce is on the north side of the island, they can avoid the tourists by living over there."

"Bet there are nice inns here." Chie lifted the corner of her lips. "Gonna check out the competition, Yukiko?"

"What? No, I -" Realizing she was being teased, she attempted to soldier through. "I don't need to check them out."

"That's right," Chie said, teasing shifting to affection. "Nothing here could improve on the Amagi Inn." She glanced over. "What's wrong, Naoto-kun? Afraid of getting a sunburn?"

As all eyes turned to her, the Detective Prince appeared to grow somehow smaller, hunching her shoulders and tucking in her chin. "I am merely...planning our next course of action."

"You sure?" Kanji asked, forehead rumpling. "You wanna sit down?"

"I am _fine_," Naoto said, though she didn't emerge from her coat collars. "I think better when I have no distractions, and as this is the closest I can come to solitude, I would prefer to - to remain as such. Thank you."

With a shrug to Yukiko and Kanji, Chie turned her attention back to the misty shoreline, pulling out her phone to take several pictures. "Wish we weren't here on a job. I'd love to spend some time sight-seeing. Why couldn't our school trips have ever sent us here?"

"It's going to be expensive. Vacation spots like this always are," Yukiko said. She'd brought some money, but they'd been depending on Naoto's various credit cards to pay their way. She felt embarrassed to be relying on a friend like this, but she supposed there was no point in bringing that up now.

Movement caught the corner of her eye. Kanji had turned from watching Naoto to glance around the crowded ferry. Yukiko smoothed her skirts, then cautiously surveyed the area. She didn't see anyone suspicious. (Not that someone who wanted to stay hidden would look out of the ordinary; not that she honestly knew what suspicious activity to look for.) She should be relieved they had a breather.

_We should assume we're being followed. So we should know exactly who's doing it and where they are._

And there _they_ were, about to infiltrate one of those expensive mansions. Any minute now, they'd become the people someone else had to look out for. The idea would stoke Chie once it occurred to her. It didn't do anything for Yukiko.

* * *

_3.21.16_

It wasn't even seven 'o clock when the ferry docked. The wind had picked up; the rain that drizzled down tasted salty. Naoto held on to the gangway's railing, and once they got out of the crush of tourists, she leaned against a sign post to steady her legs. At least she hadn't thrown up, but her bones felt as firm as pipe cleaners. Stress and little sleep, there was nothing she could do about it.

"So." Chie stopped directly in front of her, legs apart, hands on hips, unforgivably chipper. "What's the plan?"

Naoto cleared her throat. Her voice was still faint. "I confess, I found it a bit difficult to think onboard."

"We're sorry," Yukiko said. "We shouldn't have talked so much."

"So I'm still in the process of figuring out a plan."

There was a bit of a silence. Then Chie nodded. "Well, that's okay." She glanced around at the others, brows tipping up. "We can brainstorm together, right?"

"So what do we gotta do?" Kanji asked. "Aside from beat the shit out of everyone?"

Naoto looked to the left and right. None of the tourists were very close to their small circle. Nevertheless, she pulled out a map of Yakushima she'd picked up on the ferry. "Make a wall." As the others leaned in around her (which was both comforting and subconsciously alarming as they were all taller than she), she collected her thoughts. "We have to get into the Kirijo mansion." She slid her finger along the map to the community of estates on the island's south side. "A few mansions, owned by celebrities of the past, are open to guided tours. You can see them here, relatively close to us. The others are here, in this gated community." She pointed to a white blankness. "Barred from tourism, therefore unmapped. According to my information, the Kirijo residence is at the end of this small peninsula. There's also a private beach open to the community nearby." She pointed.

"Okay," Chie said. "Can we hire a boat and sail around? No, lemme guess, the water's patrolled there?"

"If it isn't usually, I've little doubt that Mitsuru Kirijo has placed security there. She'll have some form of surveillance."

"So we attack by land," Kanji said. "Where's the gate and what's closest to it?"

Her research had told her of several gates, though the western one had sounded most promising. Naoto studied the map, a stray raindrop striking off the brim of her cap. "It's here. Docks, a shopping district and restaurants appear to be nearby."

"I hope it's not the red light district," Chie muttered. As the others looked up at her, she blushed. "I didn't mean to say that out loud, honestly. And - even if it is, I don't care. I'll go anywhere as long as I can put a stop to this."

"I hope we won't have to go there," Yukiko said.

"Damn, I didn't even think of that," Kanji muttered.

"It's five minutes to seven in the morning," Naoto said, eyes closed. "On the slight chance that we have to pass through any undesirable neighborhoods, I doubt we will be apprehended."

"Yes," said Yukiko. "And if we are, we have Kanji-kun to protect us." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Uh," said Kanji. Then he made a fist. "Damn straight!"

Naoto sighed. "Kanji's presence certainly has that benefit." She folded the map. "Let's head south. We'll formulate a plan once we see what we have to face."

Yakushima was just waking, the storefronts rolling up, the street vendors wheeling out their carts. It was off season, but some determined tourists were already trotting off to the public beach, shivering in their light cover ups. Naoto's jobs had taken her to many resorts (vacations being a favorite time for law-abiding citizens to turn criminal), so she had few pleasant associations with souvenir shops, bright bunting or beaches. But then, she wouldn't have liked beaches anyway.

Being with her friends was another matter. She'd spent most of her life friendless, and even after five years, the fact that she had such close comrades could still feel novel. But she couldn't allow herself to be drawn into their conversation. The streets were growing crowded, and crowds meant they could be shadowed far more effectively. She wondered if she should have them split up - but no. None of them knew the island. Better to close ranks.

"Hey, Naoto-kun?" Chie said, something in her tone making Naoto think she'd said it several times.

She'd been watching the boardwalk. (Were those the two woman who_ might_ have been following them yesterday?) "I'm sorry. Yes?"

"You don't seem that impressed." Chie frowned, probably bummed that not everyone was equally enthusiastic.

"I'm not one for resort towns. To be honest, I hate walking in crowded streets."

Chie swung her arms. "Well, I like it. This would be such a great place to unwind." She looked around at the others. "If you could go anywhere here, where would it be?"

"Home," said Yukiko.

"No fair. C'mon, I'm trying to lift our spirits, people. Real answer this time."

"Oh..." Yukiko shrugged one shoulder. "A nice restaurant, I suppose. We don't have anywhere really fancy in Inaba, and I've always wanted to eat somewhere expensive."

"Kanji?"

He shook his head, impatient. "I dunno."

Chie grimaced, and anxiety crossed her face before she forced her smile back on. "I bet they have some local textiles or crafts or something you could check out. What about you, Naoto?"

Naoto looked away from one of the awnings. (Had the shopkeeper been watching them? That wasn't unprecedented as both Yukiko and Chie were very attractive girls, but still...) "Well..."

"C'mon, where do you go to relax during a job?"

"I don't relax much," Naoto answered. After a moment, she gestured vaguely. "A restaurant or a club if one can be found. When I was in Inaba, I usually went to the food court in the evening."

They all turned to look at her (at least she didn't blush this time). "Clubs, huh?" Chie's eyebrows arched with surprise. "You dance?"

She almost stuttered. "People-watch, actually. That's all." When she was younger, her grandfather had taken her to restaurants both high and low and taught her how to gauge people by their actions and appearances. She still found it soothing to fall back on that simple, early training.

"Now that I think of it, we met you at that club on our school trip."

"Can we not talk about that?" Yukiko spoke up. "I still don't remember what happened that night, and you guys are always hinting about it."

"Yeah," Kanji said, not looking at any of them. "Let's not talk about that."

* * *

_3.21.16_

They were all getting jumpy the closer they got to the south side, which meant they all tried harder to hide it. Chie kept drawing their attention to the roadside vendors or an interesting building, or anything else. Yukiko was more quiet than usual, though she pulled out her fan once, ran it between her hands, and repocketed it. Naoto barely spoke, scanning as much as the crowd as she could without craning her neck around. Kanji alternated between watching her and checking for any obvious sign of trouble. He had reason enough for the latter, and as for the former... Well, Naoto had the best clue what was going on. If she wouldn't speak up and say what she was thinking, he might as well guess.

They stopped by the docks (which were not by the red light district). The street and sidewalk cut away to accommodate the boats and a long pier below the level of the shops. On the other side of this artificial valley was a lushly wooded slope. "The gate's across there," Naoto said. "Guarded."

Chie pointed down by the harbor. "That sign says they do give out boat rides. Do you think we could sail up to the beach and at least get that close?"

"We'd have to get past security," Kanji said. "And I'm guessing you don't want me to just punch everyone out."

"Not yet," Naoto deadpanned, thinking.

"You're a detective," Chie said. "Can't you get in because of that? Tell security it's a life or death situation."

"I'm not currently attached to any police force, and my agency has no idea what I'm doing. Disclosing my profession would also increase the chances of our enemies hearing of our movements, thus I would prefer to remain anonymous. Besides, renting a boat would require a guide, and I'm reluctant to involve a third party." No one commented on the fact that she referred to all of them as a single entity.

"We could buy a boat," Kanji said. In a moment, Naoto was staring at him, and he couldn't tell if it was because he'd said something helpful or if he'd made a total idiot of himself. "Well, it solves one of those problems."

"I do have a boating license," Naoto mused.

Chie stared at her. "I know you have a car, but..._boating?_"

"Relying on others for something as basic as transportation is a liability," Naoto rattled off. "I'm currently working on my pilot's license."

"You," said Kanji, "are the complete package."

She cleared her throat and turned away from all of them, strolling along the railing for a better view of the docks. "If we acquired a boat and failed to get past security, it would only draw attention to our presence."

"Who gives a damn for security?" Kanji asked. "We have Personas. We can...subdue 'em."

"Regrettably, none of us has the power to control minds." Naoto herself could call down instant death, but no one suggested it. Naoto turned her head, gazing at the tangled forest opposite them. Kanji watched her eyes narrow, her lips press together. "Of course...this is all assuming we intend to make it to the guards in the first place."

* * *

_3.21.16_

Summoning Juno was her only solace.

With her Persona surrounding her, she was safe from the ghosts and the robots resurrected from Aigis' sisters. In Juno's globe, she had both solitude and clarity. Even with the ghosts standing around her, watching her, she could smile. Even so, all she felt was weariness.

"I detect no usage of Personas in the building," she said after a moment.

"Don't lie," one of the ghosts warned. "She hinted that you might."

Fuuka swallowed, hoped she didn't show any surprise. _She?_ Who was she? She'd never known her captors answered to some higher authority.

The ghosts must suspect Persona-users were nearby. She redoubled her efforts, seeking them out. The moment one of them evoked a Persona, she wanted to know.

* * *

_3.21.16_

"Naoto," Chie said firmly. "Naoto. Shirogane. We have been through this before."

Kanji watched as Naoto fell back from Chie, her waist pressed against the sidewalk's railing.

"Back off, Chie," he broke in. "What's goin' on?"

"It's for the good of our cause, Kanji." Chie was small, but she wasn't as small as Naoto, and cocking her hands on her hips just made her seem bigger. "She knows it as much as I do. She's just too stubborn."

"Chie -" Naoto tried. She swallowed. Kanji frowned, seeing her discomfort. He had no idea what had started this. He'd been studying the docks while the girls sorted out the details of the plan - and he'd turned around to see Chie bearing down on Naoto. "Chie," Naoto tried again, "it really is unnecessary. I'm sure -"

"Look, you told me, ages ago, that on a mission like this, it's important to be as authentic as possible. And those clothes are very nice, but they are not touristy."

"But I -"

"Chie's right," Yukiko said. "It won't seem real if only three of us look like tourists. And besides, didn't you say our enemy's looking for two boys and two girls? If there are suddenly three girls, that may throw them off the scent."

"Hold on," said Kanji. "What're we doing?"

"We're going shopping." Chie latched onto Naoto's right wrist (confining the hand closer to the pistol - not that it meant anything). "Come on!"

Naoto swallowed her next protest and allowed herself to be towed away from the railing, though she jerked free of Chie after a few steps. Straightening her jacket, she cast Kanji a wide-eyed look, then faced forward.

Chie stopped at the first store they came across. "We gotta make this convincing: travel bags, tee shirts, sneakers -" she turned her brown-eyed glare on Naoto "- and swimsuits." Kanji felt his blood pressure spike while Naoto swallowed again. "Don't even try to sneak away," Chie warned. "This isn't a beauty pageant."


	12. Chapter 12

12.

_3.21.16_

Kanji grimaced. Damn mass-produced merchandise. Shoddy dyes, uneven stitching... Didn't these people have any self-respect? Shaking his head, he picked out a tee shirt and shorts (black and gray, they went with everything), then grabbed the first pairs of trunks and sneakers he thought would work. Then sauntered through the shop back to the girls.

Naoto, paler than usual, had some clothes tucked neatly under her arm, also four large tote bags with a puffy bug-eyed mascot on them. Chie and Yukiko stood at a rack of swimsuits, conferring.

"Ooo, this one would look so cute on you." Chie held up an orange number in front of Yukiko. "No, wait, that's not really your color, is it?"

"We need to hurry," Naoto said quietly. "Aesthetics are secondary."

"Well, if you think we should just grab whatever works and go - then fine." Chie unhooked a hot pink string bikini and held it out to her. "Here."

Naoto fell back several steps, holding the totes to her chest. "I - that does _not_ work. At all."

Chie smiled and rehung the bikini. "So we'll take a little more time on our shopping. We should go for some functionality here. We don't know what'll be happening, and we'll probably have to fight."

"It doesn't really matter," Yukiko said. "I mean, they'll just be under our clothes. So even if we're fighting in bathing suits, no one will know." Kanji rubbed his nose to see if it was bleeding yet. Nope. Yes, willpower. "Do we even need swimsuits to begin with?"

"Perhaps not -" Naoto started hopefully.

"A disguise has to be thorough if it's going to work at all," Chie pontificated. "And besides, we're going out on the water. It's common sense to be prepared." After another moment's thought, she unhooked a yellow tankini with stars on the front. "I'll go try this one on."

As she left, Yukiko moved over to get a better view of the selection. "Hm. They have some nice things here." She withdrew an icy pink two piece with a shirred top. "Be right back."

Naoto held the totes close and looked determinedly away from Kanji and the swimsuits. Kanji cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh - You shouldn't worry, you know. Like they said, no one'll see it." Naoto didn't look over, eyes downcast. "And besides - " his voice strengthened with confidence "- even if they did, s'not like you'd look bad."

She flashed a wide-eyed glare at him, half angry, half panicked. 100 percent mortified. Kanji shut up.

The silence floundered between them until Chie and Yukiko returned, dressed as usual, suits in hand. "These look great," Chie said. "So, Naoto-kun, what're you going with?"

"Um," Naoto said almost in a whisper, "we could re-think our plan -"

Chie sighed with exasperation. "What's your problem?" She turned to the rack and began shuffling through the hangers. "You've gone to the hotsprings with us girls. This isn't _that_ different."

"It is!" Naoto spluttered, cheeks red. "At the hotsprings, it's only - there are no -" Her free hand grasped at nothing. "It's only you girls."

"Kanji doesn't care," Chie said, mind probably more on her mission than what she was saying. For his part, Kanji didn't say anything, suddenly dry throat and all. "Don't worry, there's gotta be something frumpy here."

"I don't want to be _frumpy_," Naoto hissed. "I just don't want to be - to be - can't I just wear a shirt and trousers? As usual?"

"Here!" Chie whipped out a suit. "It's blue. You love blue. And look, it's got little boy shorts."

"_Little_ is the operative word, Chie-senpai, they hardly qualify as -"

"And the top covers your tummy - well, half of it. And look, it's got a little belt. So it's almost like real clothes." Naoto was about to make some remark, but Chie thrust the suit into her arms. "Go try it on. You're the one who said we're wasting time."

Chie and Yukiko talked while they waited, but Kanji didn't really catch what they were saying. In two minutes flat, Naoto had returned, her blush reduced to a faint pinkness beneath her eyes. "The suit will...suffice." And she led the way to the cash register.

The next phase of their plan was changing into their disguises, for which they required restrooms. Chie again made the decision, leading them into a Wild-duck Burger. Four speed-changes later, they'd rendezvoused in front of the plastic duck display, shivering and goosebumpy in their tee shirts and shorts. Chie had relinquished her greaves to her tote (which now clanked). "Everyone ready?"

"Yes." Naoto, hatless and in jean shorts that reached almost to her knees, looked decidedly unhappy. And more feminine than androgynous, the dark tee showing her curves. Kanji noticed the cord attached to her gun still swung from her pocket. With an effort, he stopped contemplating her very white calves. "Phase two then," Naoto continued. Setting her shoulders, she led the way out of Wild-duck Burger to the docks.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Naoto holstered her wallet, narrowly watching the sailor as he left the dock. This was probably the only time in his life a stranger would approach him and offer him a generous amount of yen for his little speedboat, but he hadn't hesitated long before accepting. Naoto sighed. She was dropping her money into a pit, much more literally than she liked; rich as the Shirogane family was, she hated to see the waste. Couldn't be helped.

"...Then we'll be waiting for you. Bye." Yukiko closed her phone. "Souji and Yosuke are going to board the ferry soon. They should be here in under two hours."

"Good. We can afford to wait that long." _I hope._ Naoto walked along the short pier to where the boat - her boat - bobbed. Holding onto a piling with one hand, she sidestepped into the stern, checking the motor. "This is pretty old, but it seems to be in good condition." She glanced at the ocean itself. It was drizzling again, but the waves were fairly flat. She'd never sailed in rough water, and she hadn't sailed, period, in almost a year. Chie passed down the box lunches they'd bought, which Naoto set on the seats that ran along either side of the small boat, then settled in their totes as well.

Chie took her hand and helped her back onto the dock. "So we just sit tight?"

"We need to talk." Naoto waited until all of her friends were looking at her. She glanced to see that no one else was near, and she kept her voice low. "Up until now, I've wanted us all to stay together. It was the easiest way to know everyone was safe."

"And it's still the easiest way to know everyone's safe," Chie said, catching the drift of this. She looked hurt. "So we should still stick together, Naoto-kun."

Naoto looked away, at the water lapping restlessly against the boat, though her eyes darted back. "Yes. But I must remind you of what we're going into. I am a trained professional, licensed to kill. None of you can say the same."

"We're used to smashing in heads," said Kanji, eyes narrowed.

"I have no idea what we'll confront. We may find we have to kill other humans. Not Shadows. Humans. As your friend, I - I don't want you to have to make critical decisions in the heat of battle. Decide now if you're willing to do it."

Chie bit her lower lip, and she blinked hard. "I don't want to kill anyone. But someone has to stop these people. So I - if there's no other way, I will." Yukiko looked even more miserable, her eyes tight in something like a wince. But she nodded.

Naoto looked up at Kanji. "I ain't going nowhere," was all he said.

"Then," said Naoto, "I must remind you that the four of us, six with Yosuke and Souji, will be attempting to infiltrate the headquarters of a very powerful and very dangerous corporation. There is a strong likelihood that some or all of us will be killed."

Kanji made a soft sound in the back of his throat. "Damn. You gotta be so cold?"

"I have to be honest."

"Doesn't matter," he said quickly. "I'm in."

Chie shook her head. "I told my parents that I was spending the night at Yukiko's place. I didn't think I wouldn't see them again."

"The same goes for me," Yukiko said quietly. "But - I won't turn back."

"Of course not," Chie said, gathering her breath. "Who said any of us would?"

Naoto swallowed. She hadn't known what she wanted, her friends' support or their safety. No space to analyze, or regret. "As long as that's clear, then, yes: for the time being, we wait." To underline the point, Naoto sat on one of the pilings, looking out to sea. Her mind, trained to strategize and anticipate the moves of others, was already gauging which of her friends would be the most likely to live. Whether she herself would live. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the thoughts.

After several minutes, Yukiko stepped over to her, hands behind her back, looking into the boat. She whispered, "Naoto-kun, you said we should be on the lookout for those two women you thought were following us. And that'd be wearing long clothing..."

"Damn," Naoto breathed.

"I think I see them up on the sidewalk."

Naoto didn't look over. "How long have they been there?"

"I only just noticed."

Naoto took a deep breath, trying to appear relaxed. "We don't know if they've identified us. Our appearances have changed. Remain calm."

Yukiko tilted her head slightly to look behind her. "They're coming down here."

Kanji and Chie had overheard. Chie looked at Naoto while Kanji watched the women approach.

"Remain calm," Naoto said again. "Don't show any suspicion." Chie jammed her hands in her pockets and absently scuffed her shoe before strolling over to look at the boat. Kanji stayed put, only angling his head partially away from the women.

The two were of an identical height and slim build, one with a sleek red bob, the other with waist-length black hair. Both wore long, high-necked dresses that, while unusual, were not outlandish. Both wore high boots. The black-haired one had a headband with red disks covering her ears. Naoto was momentarily distracted, trying to figure out if these two were robots, how exactly they worked, but she reined her mind around.

"Good morning," said the redhead, blinking her intense green eyes. Her voice was stilted, much more than Kampe's.

"Good morning," Naoto said as Chie chirped, "Hi!"

Both woman turned to regard Naoto. Naoto swallowed under their scrutiny - then realized if she stayed quiet, she only gave the women more leisure to process information. "Are you two on vacation?" she asked, hoping her voice sounded halfway casual.

The redhead paused. "We live on Yakushima Island."

"Out to do some shopping?" Naoto asked quickly. She didn't bother to sound friendly. Chie was looking at her.

The redhead paused longer this time. "You are Naoto Shirogane."

Naoto blinked. "Who?"

"You are Naoto Shirogane."

"My name," said Naoto, "is Noriko Kashiwagi."

Long, long pause. "Please excuse us," said the redhead, and both tapped away.

Kanji watching them until they turned a corner, disappearing from sight. "Was that totally random?"

Naoto let out a sigh of relief. "Those were robots, and they appear to be far inferior to Kampe; they have to operate on much narrower algorithms. When I kept giving them answers they hadn't been programmed to respond to, they had to withdraw. The black-haired one probably can't speak at all."

"Huh!" said Chie, impressed. "So we can talk them around?"

"You think we shook 'em off?" Kanji asked.

"Not for long. But..." Naoto frowned. "They didn't attempt to capture us. They'll likely return to the Kirijo mansion to receive new orders."

"Which means," said Chie, "we shouldn't stick around here." She faced the boat.

"But we have to wait for Souji and Yosuke." Yukiko looked at each of them in turn, fear in her eyes.

"If we wait too long," Naoto said, "we'll probably be captured."

"Okay," said Chie. "Start up the boat. I'll call them once we're on the water."

* * *

_3.21.16_

Yosuke watched Souji's face as he listened to the call. Faintly, Yosuke could hear the rapid fire of Chie talking.

"Okay," Souji said. "No, I understand. Don't worry, we'll work around it."

Yosuke sighed. The last time they'd had to work around something had been resigning themselves to the fact that Souji could not bring his greatsword onto a ferry. They'd settled for shelling out an unholy amount of yen to buy a golf club. (After a long debate as to whether a putter or an iron would better suit their purposes, settling on a 3-iron.) Neither of them felt particularly inconspicuous with him carrying it. Yosuke had hidden his knives under his jacket.

"What's up?" Yosuke asked as soon as the call was over. Both boys leaned their elbows on the ferry's railing, trying to catch the damp breeze.

"They got caught by two robots on the docks," Souji said, not betraying much frustration. "They had to jump on their boat and go."

Yosuke shook his head. "Damn. It's like they don't want us to help."


	13. Chapter 13

13.

_3.21.16_

Tee shirts didn't do much to keep you toasty. Also, it would have been nice to have life vests.

Kanji didn't share these gems of wisdom as their boat scudded over waves that were becoming increasingly larger. Their initial plan had been to get out onto the water, cut the motor and just drift awhile, wait until they were sure they wouldn't be seen by any patrols, and then land the boat somewhere between the community gate and the beach. Then lose the boat and approach the Kirijo mansion on foot. But Naoto had kept casting narrow-eyed looks at the darkening sky, and after several fat cold rain drops plopped into the boat, she'd revved the engine without any discussion.

They couldn't really talk now, the wind picking up, spitting rain into their faces. They were being hit by just as much spindrift, and all were soaked to their swimsuits. And it had been raining for fewer than five minutes.

The idea had been to carefully hug the coast and wait intelligently for a good opportunity. That had been jettisoned. As Naoto slowed the boat and drew abreast of the shoreline it was clear they were landing while they still could.

The coast here was rocky, riddled with trees dangling over the water. Yukiko shouted something and pointed ahead. The boat accelerated just as a wave cut across it. The boat bounced sideways, the side screeching across rock. And then shot forward. Yukiko had been pointing to a small landing, nothing more than a strip of gravel, and the speedboat hit it rather hard. Chie grabbed Yukiko's hand, Naoto threw her arm over her head, Kanji lunged forward in an attempt to do - something - and gravel went flying.

The next thing Kanji knew, Naoto had cut the engine. It rattled, and then they could clearly hear the shattering waves and the wind, still picking up. Rain spattered their faces.

"Get everything off the boat," Naoto panted, hair slick against her face. "Chie, Kanji, do your best to turn it around."

Easier said than done. Much easier. Long after Yukiko and Naoto had removed the totes and lunches, Chie and Kanji were somehow wetter, much grittier, as they attempted to heave the boat around. They moved it_ a little_, mainly using the angle of the shore to shift the boat around. Naoto was satisfied once it was tilting a different direction. She climbed back in and sacrificed her belt to lock the wheel in place. Then she looked over her shoulder. "I'm going to need someone to catch me."

"Shit, get out of that and let me do it!" from Kanji.

"No. None of us would be capable of breaking your fall, and I will not risk your broken neck. I'm the-" she said it with some reluctance "-smallest, so it's best that I do it."

"C'mon guys, form a line," said Chie, pulling the three of them together. "We'll all catch you."

Naoto didn't hesitate. She clambered to the engine, revved it, and then, as the speedboat gave a petulant grinding roar, launched herself. Water surged in their faces, sharp-edged pebbles rushed at them, the speedboat shot away, and they all flailed forward to catch the Detective Prince.

Kanji felt an elbow slam into his chest, someone kick his right calf, an arm whap across his face, and then he toppled backwards. He slid a few inches on the gravel and then blinked, fighting to get his breath back.

His right leg was tangled with Yukiko's left, and he had a surprising amount of her hair in his mouth. A lump behind his head appeared to be Chie's left hand, and he saw one of her legs sticking up somewhere beyond Yukiko. Naoto was sprawled across all three of them, one knee in Chie's stomach, her face in the base of Kanji's throat. For the longest moment, nobody spoke, breathing hard.

Chie sputtered, then laughed. "Not our proudest moment, huh? Everyone okay? Need a Mediarahan?" Her laugh was a bit hysterical, but nobody criticized that. "Ah, you flew, Naoto. I never saw such good air time."

Naoto lifted her face, blood pattering down. She'd bitten her lower lip, leaving a jagged cut. Stuttering apologies that no one bothered to acknowledge, she scrabbled off of them. It took some negotiating, but they untangled themselves and sat up, rubbing darkening bruises and small cuts.

"Amaterasu can take care of those in a moment," Yukiko said, "but..."

"No, conserve your energy." Naoto rubbed a greenish-yellow bruise on her cheek. "We'll be fine, if a bit...stiff."

"So!" Chie let out a big whoosh of air. "Where did we touch down?"

"I wish I'd been able to select our landing more wisely. But we had to get out of that." Naoto nodded to the waves, which were rising. "We'd better head to higher ground, or we'll be under water." They didn't talk as they gathered their things, then crunched up to the cover of the trees. It was a steep ascent; they half-climbed, using trees to pull themselves up. After ten meters or so, the slope began to slacken, gradually leveling off. The rain only fell through in patches, most of the forest floor canopied by the lush trees.

"Okay," Chie said, once they'd regained their breath. "So now we gotta figure out which side of the gate we're on."

"Yes." Naoto paused to hold the back of her hand against her lip, to check how much the flow had lessened. Kanji, remembering, looked down at the blood droplets on the front of his shirt. For a moment, seeing them, evidence of Naoto being hurt, he wanted to comfort her. Or break something over his knee. But it passed. "I think we can assume we're beyond the gate. The boat's course, while...erratic...should have brought us well past it."

"And we're going to rest," Yukiko said dully, dragging wet strands of hair out her face.

"Yes," Naoto promised. "Before we attempt anything, we will rest." She drew a deep breath, reached into her pocket and, to Kanji's surprise, drew out not her cell but an old-fashioned compass. She nodded to their right. "South, towards the residences. This forest looks deep. It's not going to be easy going."

"Stuck in an impenetrable woodland." Chie shivered, her clammy tee shirt clinging to her shoulder blades and chest. She loosened it, forcing cheeriness into her voice. "Whew. That was crazy, though. Aren't you guys glad I insisted on swimsuits?"

Nobody answered. They went back to trudging, getting dirtier, adding more scrapes and splinters by dragging branches out of their faces and clambering over ragged logs. Chie called Yosuke and Souji as they hiked. From what Kanji could hear, Souji had picked up, but Yosuke must have pulled the phone out of his hand.

"Yosuke, I was talking to Sou - No. No. We're fine, we just got...sidetracked. That is, we took a shortcut. We're past the gate. Of course I don't. Look, it was hard enough for us to get through, how would I know how to get you two over the gate? You could do what we did, ram a speedboat into the side of the island by accident! Yes, we - We're fine. All of us. Me too. Well, yeah, but you could've sounded more concerned. Oh, this is stupid, never mind! Just get here, all right? No, don't try to boss me around, we are _moving on!_ We'll keep you updated!" She smacked her phone shut.

Naoto was already dialing. Souji picked up and apparently kept a firmer hold on his phone this time. "Souji-senpai, we're about three and a half miles from the Kirijo mansion. If we-" Her voice broke off. "Hold on." She pulled to a stop. Kanji stepped up behind her and needed no explanation. He hardly heard Naoto say, "Later," and end the call.

"What d'you think it is?" Chie whispered, standing at Kanji's shoulder. "That's not a mansion."

"It's a warehouse," Naoto replied. "Or that's what it's supposed to look like."

The ground gently dropped into a wooded valley, bisected by a small stream. A windowless, rectangular gray building straddled the stream. A road, unpaved and barely wide enough for one car, led to the building. There was a small green car parked in front of it.

"We need to get away from here," Naoto muttered.

They retreated as far as the next drop in the forest, putting a rise between themselves and the building. "What was that?" Yukiko asked. "It didn't look right, in the middle of the forest."

"All that's important is that it's an impediment between us and our goal." Naoto thought a moment. "It'll take more time, but we'll go around it."

"Changing course. I hope we don't have to swim." Chie's joke fell rather flat.

"Detours aside, at our present pace, we should be at the Kirijo mansion by this afternoon."

If she'd meant that to be encouraging, it didn't exactly do the trick. But Chie straightened her spine and Kanji nodded. Yukiko took a deep breath.

* * *

_3.21.16_

"Dammit," Yosuke muttered, leading Souji down the ferry's gangway. "Dammit. It's not enough that they crash into danger, they have to cut off mid-exposé?" He made two fists. "What do you want to suppose they're being ripped apart right now?"

Souji's phone was out, ready for the next call. He didn't bother calming Yosuke. It was all part of Yosuke gearing himself up for a confrontation.

In fact, he was just in the right state of mind to begin planning their assault on a gated community with nothing but two knives and a golf club.

* * *

_3.21.16_

"...so now we're trying to get around the warehouse and back on track. But we're worried about running into more roads, so we have to go pretty slowly. And-" Yukiko couldn't repress a note of petulance "-we still haven't stopped to rest."

"Okay." Even over the phone, Souji's voice was reassuring. "This is going pretty well, all things considered. We'll catch up with you as soon as we're over the gate."

"Good, and I should tell you now, Naoto-kun's insisting we turn off our phones again."

"She has a point. Stay focused. I'll see you soon." And then he was gone.

It wasn't even noon, but Chie suggested they break for lunch. Yukiko agreed, legs trembling both with anxiety and fatigue. She knelt, folding them under herself, hating to appear weak, though she knew she often did. Kanji and Chie were still tired from shifting the boat, and even Naoto relented. Chie divvied up the boxed lunches. All were soggy. No one complained.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Last year, Mitsuru wouldn't have had to sit down and wait and wonder.

She lowered herself into the chair behind her desk, staring at the dossiers the lab had sent. Two of the robots had returned, reporting a possible confrontation - the technicians couldn't tell whether or not they'd found Shirogane or mistaken some female tourist for him. Mitsuru used two fingers to knead her forehead. She never should have involved Shirogane in February; but then, in February, she'd still had some hope.

Shirogane was on his way. Whether he'd prove to be Mitsuru's salvation or destruction, she didn't know.

_Last year, I wouldn't have needed a savior!_ She smacked the dossiers shut, her fingers clenching on the cover. Her diamond glittered, even in the light from the downpour outside. She wanted to find Akihiko, ask him to - what? Kill her? Rescue her? She doubted he could do either. Taking a deep breath, she tried to let go of all thoughts of him, directing her mind down different paths. Her hand slowly unclenched.

How soon before one of them evoked a Persona? How soon before she'd know?

* * *

_3.21.16_

"Dammit, again," Kanji whispered. He'd taken point, and he quickly backed up, throwing an arm out to make sure the others went with him, hidden by foliage. They waited in silence as another car passed. For a road that obviously hadn't been made to be used much, it was certainly getting a lot of traffic.

"Third car in fifty minutes." Naoto looked up from her watch, following the line of the road with her eyes. "And heading in the direction of that facility." She shook herself. "We must press on."

They ran across the road, dusty at the edges with a muddy strip down the center. "Do you think it belongs to Kirijo?" Yukiko asked once they'd reached the cover of the trees, protecting them both from sight and the rain.

"It would be a mistake to assume everything suspicious on this island is related to Kirijo," Naoto said. She glanced back at the road. The trees hadn't grown to completely cover it, which meant it was relatively new. "Though it may be."

There was a sharp crack as Chie snapped a branch in two with a kick, then led the way onward. "Yeesh, this is rough going." She glanced back. "You think we might be ambushed out here? I was just thinking, there's a lot of cover if someone was going to try it."

"Anything's a possibility." Naoto cupped her palm over the pistol in her pocket. "But we haven't come unprepared."

"I've been wondering." Yukiko leapt lightly over a fallen log, then stumbled several steps and collided with a tree. Not commenting on that, she continued, "Why are we able to use our Personas out here? I mean, I know the flowers did something, but it shouldn't be possible. It should only work in the TV World."

"Teddie would be the best person to ask," Naoto admitted. "But it does seem necessary to be in some sort of altered state - dimension, I suppose - for a Persona to manifest."

"But this isn't an altered state," Chie said. "It's Yakushima, Japan."

"Damn, is it?" Kanji asked.

"Huh? Of course it is!"

"Well, you guys were just saying we have to be in another world for Personas to work," Kanji argued.

"None of us are certain how it works," Naoto said.

"Maybe we just should be grateful it does," Yukiko said.

"Those flowers..." Naoto frowned, but left it at that.

They made five minutes' worth of headway before they heard a car again, behind them. They were out of sight of the road, so they didn't duck and hide, but they held still until the sound had died away. It couldn't have been ten minutes more before they heard the shout.

_"Persona!"_

Kanji and Yukiko hesitated. Naoto dropped to the ground, grabbing the tail of Kanji's shirt as she went. Chie latched onto Yukiko's arm, taking them both down. The four of them lay, stomachs to the ground, hearts pounding. Naoto thought she saw a flash of light on their right, but it might have been a trick of her eyes, dizzy from falling so quickly.

After a second or so, they heard the murmur of a masculine voice. Then a feminine voice, shouting: "Persona!"

Naoto was sure of the flash this time. She cautiously lifted her chin. About thirty feet away, something white hovered in the trees, spun, and dispersed.

A rustling in the undergrowth made her drop down again. Whoever was there was approaching. "...twenty years out of date...rewrite the program, rebuild you all from the scrap heap and prototypes....had a bit more ego, you could control the Persona better. But you're shoddy enough that it's best you don't think at all." The man sighed. "All right, let's try it again: Evoke."

"Argos!"

Naoto felt goosebumps ripple across her back as the brilliant Persona swept over them, trailing shining feathers.

"All right," said the man's voice, "try to-"

"There are four intruders," came a flat feminine voice.

"What?" said the man.

"All out attack," Kanji muttered.

They sprang upright, shrugging off their totes, darting between the trees at a run. "Spread out!" Naoto shouted, firing. A bullet blasted past her face, and she skidded to the side, just missing another bullet that would have bored between her eyes. "Yamato Takeru!"

"Suzuka G-"

"-kuten Maoh!"

"Argos!"

It was hard to see through the flurry of their own Personas, instinctively striking in concert before they dissipated. The robot's Persona, a white peacock, manifested, then disappeared without attacking. Chie landed a kick in the middle of the robot's abdomen, sending her into Kanji's waiting arms; he threw her against a tree, sparks shooting out of her skull. Beyond them, Naoto could see the figure of a man running. Setting her jaw, she sighted on him and pulled the trigger. He tumbled forward, lost in the thick undergrowth.

Naoto ran out from behind the tree. "Yukiko!" She didn't pause to see Yukiko's startled expression, stopping only when she'd reached the man. She'd aimed for his back, the surest target. He lay face-down on the ground, a purple-red hole in the top of his shoulder blade. He'd curled inward, moaning. Naoto had to swallow, throat dry, but her tone was even. "Heal him. Kanji, Chie, help me tie him up." Amaterasu flashed through the thick forest, pinions gleaming. With a soft haze, the entry wound faded, became whole, and the bullet rolled harmlessly off the man's back. Naoto bent and put it in her pocket.

"That was some good shooting," Chie said, with some admiration but mostly alarm, eyes wide. "I thought you'd killed him."

Naoto didn't reply. She hadn't known whether or not she'd killed him. In a conflict like this, there was no point shooting for anything but a good target. And on the human body, good targets were vital areas.

"We've got a few questions for you," Chie said, using Kanji's belt to secure the man's wrists. They bound his feet with his own tie. He was young, between twenty five and thirty, with shaggy blond hair and round hazel eyes.

Naoto stood over his head. "You are an employee of the Kirijo Group?"

The man pressed his lips together, his gaze dropping to the short barrel of Naoto's gun. She hadn't pocketed it, only flipping the safety in place. He nodded.

"What is the purpose of the facility out here?"

The man glanced towards the robot's fallen form.

That was answer enough. Naoto paused. She dearly wanted to know how the Kirijo Group was able to manufacture machines capable of summoning Personas. But that wasn't one of their many immediate problems. "What are Mitsuru Kirijo's plans?"

The man shook his head, voice husky with fear. "Got no idea."

"What are those people who don't bleed?"

The man's eyebrows arched in puzzlement so spontaneous, Naoto doubted it had been faked. "Very well then." She swallowed, fingers tightening on the grip of her pistol. Any number of the heroes in her favorite detective novels would have coolly shot the man through the head, both to ensure he wouldn't rat on them or live to further Kirijo's plans. Naoto had killed her first man at fifteen in a moment of panic, and she'd had to kill two more since. She'd lost that innocence and knew she was capable of taking human life, and of living with the consequences. They didn't have the time to waste interrogating him; he'd given all the information he could and now was nothing but a liability.

She took a deep breath. "Gag him. And relieve him of his keys and phone." She slid the pistol back into her pocket. While Chie wadded one of the man's socks into his mouth and tied the other one over his eyes, Kanji passed over the keys and cell. She looked the set over - car key, two keys that looked like house keys, though both were different, and a key chain from Orlando Studios, Florida. She put them in her other pocket; she didn't intend to steal the car, but if the man worked his way loose, it would be better if he couldn't alert Mitsuru Kirijo by driving to her manor in a matter of minutes. And as tempting as the car was, it would only draw more attention to their entry.

Her breathing was still uneven, both from the fight and the decision to let the man live.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Fuuka caught her breath, though she didn't think the ghosts had noticed. One after another, she sensed them.

Juno could scan several miles in every direction, and for hours, all she'd encountered were the ghosts, robots and hundreds of humans, indistinguishable from each other. But suddenly, three miles away, she had sensed a flurry of Personas - a robot and then four humans. She called out to them, knowing Juno would remember them from seven years ago.

But she didn't recognize any of them. She paused, perplexed. Were they the other Persona-users, those Rise had alluded to? Were there still more? The Kirijo Group had experimented on orphans in the nineties; Strega had been among them. Had more of them awoken to their Personas? But why would they be here? Were they her friends or enemies?

She frowned, debating whether or not she should tell the ghosts.


	14. Chapter 14

14.

_3.21.16_

"We aren't the most typical beach-goers," Yukiko muttered, and it was true. They were bruised, bleeding shallowly and very dirty. And they'd left the shelter of the forest, so now they were drenched again. The only benefit was that the rain ensured that few people were outside to see them.

On the private pier, several fishermen, sorts who evidently thrived from fishing in the rain, craned their necks around to look at them as they passed. (Naoto moved to the other side of Chie and Kanji so she couldn't be seen as clearly; it was less that she didn't want to be recognized than she didn't want to be ogled.) The beach was at the lowest point of the peninsula, a few mansions overlooking it. There wouldn't be a neon sign proclaiming KIRIJO CHATEAU OF QUESTIONABLE ACTIVITIES, but research had given Naoto some clues what to look out for. She nodded at the second residence they passed. "That one. See the chalet-style scallops on the roof?"

Silence.

"I guess?" said Chie.

"It's the right one," Naoto said.

"So how do we break in?" Kanji asked.

They paused in their stroll and stared up at the mansion's high wall, visible even through the tree-covered slope.

"There's got to be a door," said Yukiko. "Maybe even more than one."

Chie nodded. "Let's start by seeing if we can find them."

"Be careful not to get too close," Naoto said. "Stay in the tree line."

Twenty minutes later, they were back near the beach, under the cover of the trees. The rain had slackened to a chilly drizzle. Chie and Yukiko huddled shoulder to shoulder for warmth.

"You know," Chie said, "whenever books talk about servants' entrances, they're always conveniently unguarded."

"Who reads books these days?" said Kanji. He sighed, shaking his head. "Every way in's guarded. How're we gonna do this?"

Naoto crossed her arms, her tee shirt cold against her stomach. She wouldn't be surprised if the blue dye were bleeding into her skin. "One way would be to simply walk up to the front gate and request entry."

Kanji rubbed his forehead. "Things must be bad if you're just jokin'."

"I'm not."

"The hell?" Though they didn't speak, Chie and Yukiko were equally startled, Yukiko's eyebrows arched and Chie's mouth open in an unformed retort.

"It's risky, I won't claim it isn't. But it allows us to initiate the..." she thought a moment "...encounter. And by now, I'm sure Mitsuru Kirijo is expecting us."

"What happens when we walk up there and they gun us down?"

"I've been thinking back to what Kampe said when she engaged Chie-senpai. _I will do my part to subdue you, though it is premature._ Clearly, there's some plan for us. Or Chie, at least."

"That was yesterday," Kanji argued. "What if they've given up on the plan?"

"Or what if they're ready now?" Chie put in.

"Maybe our lives are expendable at this point," Yukiko said.

Naoto looked up through the trees to the Kirijo residence. "They've gone to a lot of trouble both to track us and to let us evoke Personas. I don't think they'd want to undo all that by killing us immediately."

"They tried to kill you two days ago," Kanji said. "On my doorstep. They didn't mean you to live through that."

"I admit, I've made myself tiresome to the Kirijo Group." Her lids flicked down, lashes obscuring her eyes. "Perhaps I simply learned too much too soon. I've no doubt they wanted to kill me. But now that I'm here, perhaps they'll answer some questions first."

"Naoto-kun-" Chie took a step towards her. Yukiko looked down, as if she already knew she couldn't argue Naoto out of this.

"I don't like this," said Kanji, fists tight.

Naoto looked at the three of them. "I-" _I would be hurt if any of you did._ "We have no time to waste."

* * *

_3.21.16_

Pelletier hadn't known what to expect when he'd agreed to leave Paris in late January. He'd known a smattering of English and Japanese when his superiors had recommended him to_ le Groupe Kirijo_, the French branch of the corporation, rapidly losing influence throughout Europe. Mlle Kirijo asked specifically for _un tueur à gages excellent_ - a skilled hit man. Why she suddenly didn't trust any of her own hit men, Pelletier didn't have to know. It was enough that he was hired.

He wasn't sure why he was still here. At Mlle's orders, he'd killed several of her employees in America. He thought that would be the end of it, but she'd requested he accompany her entourage back to Japan. From what he'd heard, though he was no bloodhound by any means, Mlle's men were still hard at work, trying to track down a ring of enemies of the Kirijo Group. But Pelletier had been ordered to remain close to Mlle herself. Evidently she could trust her men in some lines of duty, but not with the protection of her own person.

Pelletier shook his head. He wasn't a bloodhound, and he wasn't a bodyguard. He glanced sidelong at his companion, Carson, hired in America for similar reasons. They'd been standing in front of Mlle's door since three o'clock last night. They hadn't exchanged a word, not even to ask if the other knew what the hell was going on in this house. For instance, those women, the ones with the headbands and the odd eyes...what was that about? There was one now, a redhead.

She stopped in front of them, stiff legs together. Her voice came out in a monotonous clip. It was the first time he'd heard one of them speak. "There is a disturbance at the front gate. Security requests assistance."

"Not my job," Pelletier said in his limited Japanese.

The woman waited, face unchanging. "There is a disturbance at the front gate. Security requests assistance."

Pelletier swore at her in Japanese. He wasn't sure what the oath meant, but he'd heard several it times during the weeks and in context that meant it could only be an oath, and a pretty good one at that.

The woman stared at him. "There is a disturbance at the front gate. Security requests assistance."

Why couldn't one of Mlle's own grunts deal with this? But then, she appeared to be trusting them less and less. And if this redhead's orders had been to come straight to them, Mlle's foreign bodyguards, it either meant the disturbance was too paltry for anyone else to care about, or it was simply too important. Which was...flattering, in a way. But still, why should he have to deal with it?

Pelletier glanced at Carson; if Pelletier, the woman, even the mansion itself hadn't existed, Carson couldn't have stared more steadily forward. Swearing in French, Pelletier stepped away from the door, slipping his hand into the front of his jacket. If he was going to walk all the way down there, he just hoped he'd have a chance to shoot someone. Even just brandish the gun. Anything to blow off some steam.

A cold, light rain met him the moment he stepped outside, making him squint as he crossed the long, stone-tiled avenue, the double rows of flower beds and reflecting pools. There was a small tower on each side of the gate, each manned by security personnel. Pelletier smiled at the way they stood at attention, awaiting his approach. He picked the lefthand tower, climbing its small stairway to the single room. There was a chair, panoramic windows and five security cameras, each trained on a different area. Pelletier didn't bother with the latter, leaning to look over the gate.

The disturbance appeared to be four teenagers, early twenties at the very oldest. He grimaced. Okay, this wasn't important, this was paltry. He'd been insulted. He'd have words with security later.

They were all of them very wet, carrying sodden tote bags as though hoping to be invited inside for a sleep-over. Three of them, he noted, were very cute girls - a tall, elegant girl with straight black hair, a pert brunette with enormous eyes, and a petite blue-haired girl with a heart-shaped face. The boy, tall, heavily muscled, blond, pierced, tattooed...was not particularly cute.

Pelletier didn't have the firmest grasp of Japanese, so he couldn't make his statements as colorful as he'd like them. "Go away now."

The small girl stepped up to the speaker by the gate. "Ms. Kirijo is expecting me."

Pelletier glanced at the guard. He shrugged. "Go away."

The girl turned to her companions. Pelletier couldn't hear what they said, and it probably would have been too fast for him to understand anyway. The girl leaned again towards the speaker. "My name is Naoto Shirogane. I am employed by Ms. Kirijo. She will wish to see me."

The guard muttered something fast. "What?" Pelletier asked quietly. "What does that mean?"

"Shirogane is a boy," the guard said, looking narrow-eyed at the four.

"She's not the best, but she's definitely not a boy. Or it's a disguise. Some boys can cross-dress all right," Pelletier amended, glancing at the group again. "Mlle Kirijo said she was looking for this Shirogane. She didn't say anything about any other kids." He then realized he'd been speaking in French. He drummed his fingers against one of the screens. He should bring "Shirogane" in to be questioned, that much seemed obvious. As for the others...if they were working with this kid, they might prove necessary. In any case, he could confine them separately and go to Mlle for further instructions. He wondered why she herself wasn't taking care of this, if Shirogane was so important. Ah, well. It was his job to kill people, not sort out the Kirijo Group's inner workings.

"Call for backup and let them in," he said in Japanese.

As soon as four more guards had gathered in the walkway, Pelletier gave the signal for the gates to be opened. He stepped out of the tower just as the kids walked under the gate. The tall beauty had her hands clasped tightly; the other's wide eyes scanned in every direction. The boy loomed next to Shirogane, who was too calm for Pelletier to trust. Without waiting for his go-ahead, several guards reached for the totes.

"Allow me to reiterate," Shirogane said smoothly. (Without the medium of the speaker, Pelletier thought that his voice sounded a little deep for a girl's; but then, it was rather light for a boy's. He studied Shirogane's chest for clarification, then wondered if he looked less than impressive. It could be padding...possibly. In either case, he'd better look up.) "I have been employed by Ms. Kirijo since February. I am here to report back to her."

The totes were turned out (full of clothes), and the four were checked for weapons (though their damp apparel made it obvious they weren't carrying much). Shirogane voluntarily produced a pistol from his right pocket. One guard (finally) threw Pelletier a questioning look. It wasn't as though guns weren't allowed in the residence - as long as they were in the hands of Kirijo employees.

Before taking this job, Pelletier had heard the name _Shirogane_ maybe once in his life, some prestigious detective family in Japan. If they were that good, it figured Mlle would hire them. As for one kid with a gun - a kid who was fifteen at most - in a sopping wet outfit - yes, there was definitely a risk. But there was a greater risk of Mlle being displeased if her boy detective was manhandled or sent away. Still, some precautions would be taken.

"Put it back," he said, and Shirogane replaced the pistol. He gestured to the four guards to come, then led the way inside. They stood in the front hall, dripping on the gleaming floor. "All right." When he turned, Pelletier saw that Shirogane had just exchanged a look with the big guy, who now glared at the opposite wall, mouth bent with frustration. "Take them to separate waiting rooms. Shirogane will come with me."

The black-haired girl swallowed (she was a stunner, no question), and the brunette bit her lip. The big guy - who was a little taller than Pelletier - shifted his glare to the hit man. But nobody protested as Shirogane followed him down the long carpet and down a side gallery to the nearest elevator.

Pelletier didn't turn to look at the detective as they walked side by side, the boy's wet sneakers squishing. He didn't look at the boy as they stepped into the small elevator. Pelletier wasn't sure if it was because he felt Shirogane was beneath his dignity to notice, or the fact that he honestly wasn't sure Shirogane was a boy. He decided it was simpler to think of him as one.

He led the detective down a short hallway, walking under the eyes of several cameras, then opened a door to a small sitting room. "Wait here." And shut the boy in. One of those women (what were they, maids? but they seemed to guard the floors, and he'd heard they all carried guns) was standing at the far end of the hall. Pelletier gestured her over to the door. "Guard this room." Then, straightening his tie, he continued on to the stairs that would eventually lead to Mlle's office, figuring out what exactly he'd say.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Sometimes, directions were helpful. Other times, they were the last things he wanted to follow.

As the security guard led him down a short hallway, Kanji glanced to either side, looking for an advantage. Naoto had predicted they'd be separated. "I will try to meet with Mitsuru Kirijo," she'd said. "The three of you should stick together and stay under the radar. As soon as it's possible, we'll reunite and plan our next steps."

"You mean, hide in the mansion?" Chie asked. "Right under the group's nose?"

"The closer, the better."

This part of the mansion looked pretty old fashioned. The door that the guard opened even had one of those old push style locks; the only thing odd about it was that it locked from the outside. Fun place. The guard gestured. "Wait in here."

Kanji glanced in. It was a storage room, windowless, rather musty. Stacked with unused chairs.

Kanji checked up and down the hallway. No cameras in sight.


	15. Chapter 15

15.

_3.21.16_

It would've been preferable to be dry when meeting with the woman behind the sudden deaths, captures, harassment and sundry dangers to the Persona-users, but Naoto tried to ignore that. The point was that this mission, this_ job_, as she'd called it, was coming to its close. And the closer it came to completion, the higher the stakes shot.

She pulled out her pistol, gave it a cursory check, then slid it back in, hitching the tote's straps higher on her shoulder. She'd discard it if necessary, but she'd rather not leave any possessions behind for her enemies to analyze. She dropped her hand to her thigh, traced the contours of her pistol through the damp denim.

The door clicked open. That man - French, she guessed from his accent - regarded her warily. "Come." Naoto obeyed, spine straight, though a shiver twitched down the back of her shoulder. The Frenchman didn't see it.

A robot, the black-haired one she'd seen that morning, followed them as they walked up a long hallway, took a flight of stairs, crossed an airy, many-windowed gallery, and stopped in front of a pair of fine mahogany doors. Another man, hand in jacket, waited outside as they went in.

Warmth washed across Naoto's skin; there was a fire in a small hearth at that side of the room. She found herself in a large office, dim from the rain streaking the wide windows. Mitsuru Kirijo, tall, pale and dressed with a meticulousness Naoto had always admired, sat at her desk.

"Thank you," she said, rising, fingertips poised on her desk. "Pelletier, you may leave us." As the Frenchman left, Naoto felt the robot step close behind her. Mitsuru Kirijo's brown eyes looked her up and down, the corner of her mouth quirking. Naoto couldn't quite place the expression. "You look somewhat different from when I hired you."

"Doubtless you are aware that I fulfilled my duties to you last month," Naoto said, bypassing any allusion to her cross-dressing. "I am no longer in your employ, though I had to...gloss over that point in order to gain admittance."

Kirijo didn't answer, folding her arms.

There was no room for tact. "What do you want with us Persona-users? Are you one yourself?"

"No. As for your Personas, all I want is to- " some quality of light shifted in her eyes "-undo a terrible wrong."

Naoto stared at her. Like the robots, she wasn't sure how to respond to such an unexpected answer. "How will our Personas facilitate that?"

Kirijo opened her mouth, winced, then changed whatever she'd been about to say. "I'm surprised such a thorough investigator didn't bother to research the gift she was sent." Naoto didn't answer, unsure if she were being baited, though Kirijo's demeanor was tense, not mocking. "The flowers. They are white asphodels."

The name signified nothing to Naoto. "You haven't answered my question. There is no sense in dissembling." She openly slid her hand into the pocket holding her pistol. "You have taken innocent lives, and you've threatened the lives of my friends. And, unless I'm mistaken, your own friends."

Kirijo swallowed, shoulders bracing, arms still crossed, face unreadable. "Don't precipitate this. If you fight, you will die. Every Persona is irreplaceable, and yours is powerful."

Naoto withdrew her gun, flipping off the safety. "Answer my questions."

Setting her jaw, Kirijo looked past Naoto. "Evoke."

Naoto turned, planted the gun's muzzle in the robot's stomach, and pulled the trigger just as the robot cried, "Andarta!" Naoto retreated a step and gasped, groaned as a white female figure plunged a bristling paw into her chest, dragging long claws up her innards, clattering over her ribcage, up her throat and over her brain. It vanished in less than a second, leaving Naoto whole and unbloody but trembling with pain. The robot was slumped forward, legs locked, body caged with electric arcs. Automatically, Naoto backed further away from it, raised her gun arm and aimed for the head, even as her arm still shook. Metal and wire flew in every direction. Something whirred in the robot's stomach, and then it tumbled to the carpet. Without thinking about it, Naoto trained her gun away from the robot, leveling it at Kirijo's chest. The trembling stilled.

Kirijo's hand clenched, making a fist, finger bones sharp against her skin - and at the same moment, she looked down and away, offering no resistance.

Naoto realized she could hear a struggle on the other side of the door.

* * *

_3.21.16_

After slamming the guard into the wall, Kanji reached behind himself, hoisted a chair whose seat (his textile-trained eyes noted) was cheap hemp, and smashed said chair over the guard's head, letting it dangle like an avant-garde necklace. The next chair (the first chair's twin) smacked the guard across the face, leaving his nose a faucet of blood. Chair still raised, Kanji watched as he slumped to the floor.

Remembering how they'd treated the man in the forest, Kanji used the guard's belt on his wrists, his tie on his ankles, then relieved him of his gun. Kanji had never shot a gun before. He hated the things, and he suspected he'd be more likely to do himself damage than harm an opponent. He dropped it in a pile of chairs, out of sight of the unconscious guard.

He cast briefly around the room. Not a single decent folding chair in the mess. Nothing he could carry while being remotely inconspicuous. Well, he'd rely on his tote. Shrugging it up on his shoulder, he made his way out of the room. Okay, try to reunite with Chie and Yukiko. Chie could handle her guard, but Yukiko would have difficulty. Then find Naoto who, shit-headed as always, was undoubtedly in a metric ton of trouble. There was no bigger idiot than a detective, especially a puny one who felt she had something to prove.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Chie's guard kept a firm grasp on her wrists.

"Hey," Chie said, "isn't this uncalled-for? I didn't see anyone else being glomped like this."

The guard, male, a bit older than she, glanced down at her but didn't slacken his grip.

Chie wanted to stay calm, and civil, and all the things a rational executor of peace, justice and ass kicking should be. But she thought she caught a small smile on the corner of the officer's lips.

"Don't get your jollies with me. Let. Go."

He curled his lip. "Don't flatter yourself." He tightened his fingers and gave her wrists a little shake. "This is just so you don't come to any harm."

"From what?" She nodded at the empty hallway. "The dust bunnies?"

She was sure of the smile this time. "Let's just say that if you try something, you might get hurt."

"Oh yeah?" She took a deep breath. There was still time to be cool and aloof.

He winked.

Her hands were bound, so she should have been defenseless. But the funny thing about Chie was that she never, not ever, used her hands to hurt people. She swung one leg up, bent it, then slammed back, hitting the officer right in the stomach. He groaned and stumbled back, dragging on her, shooting pain through her arms. She snapped free, but he was going for his gun. She smacked her heel across his hand before the gun had even cleared the holster, sending both gun and holster flying off the belt.

"Whoo!" Chie bounced on her feet. "You wanna get that repaired, you know?" And she hammered a kick into his jaw, breaking it.

Which left her with a cold, slow horror as she watched him crumple to the ground, moaning and holding his head. Eyes wide, she stared at what she'd done, her right foot poised to kick.

"Oh hell. No," she whispered. She'd said she'd been willing to kill humans. So why couldn't she pull herself together and knock him out?

She didn't pull herself together. Like a machine, she kicked him across the head, knocking him out. Then she ran.

* * *

_3.21.16_

One of the earliest things Yukiko had learned from dealing with others was that they unconsciously picked up on your mood. It was simply a human reaction. If you were gracious, your customer was more likely to be friendly and engaged. This usually meant repeat business. She'd never thought she'd have to utilize this training when dealing with hostile security personnel.

She'd been handed over to the oldest member of the group, a man who appeared to be in his late thirties. He'd gruffly gestured her to walk in front of him, hands visible, then conducted her down a short gallery that sloped underground. Yukiko had obeyed, her movements rigid with fear. She hated the silence. Awkward silences with customers meant lost money, and though she knew he wasn't a customer, she was still trained to dislike this suspended discomfort. After a moment, she said, "I'm sorry for the disturbance we caused."

"Save it," he grunted.

He quickly unlocked a door, opened it, and said, "Go in." Once she'd obeyed, he clicked on the harsh artificial light so she could see. It was a cement-floored room, stored with nothing but a few folding chairs, a table, and several packing crates.

"I'm sorry," Yukiko said again. And then she bowed from the waist, very quickly.

The guard stared at her, her black hair glossy in the light, her eyes large with fear, her clasped hands. Then he cleared his throat and muttered, "Just sit tight for now, okay?" before closing the door and locking it.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Without the benefit of a Diarahan, Naoto couldn't shrug off Andarta's attack. Her chest and skull tightened with pain at each breath, blurring her vision. She wrapped her fingers more securely around the pistol grip, forefinger arched over the trigger.

Kirijo, hearing the clamor of struggle, looked towards the door, her auburn curls swinging against her neck and shoulders. She didn't take a step away from Naoto.

_What am I waiting for?_ Naoto asked herself, her mind snapping back to her mission.

The door banged open, and a man - that Frenchman - barreled into Naoto as she pulled the trigger. The bullet lodged in the ceiling, and Naoto went sprawling, her arm bent painfully under the man's weight. His face was a mess of blood and bruises, dribbling onto her. Without any shock, she realized he was dead. She twisted, rolled out from under him, genuflected, raised her gun back to Kirijo.

What did shock her was that it was not one of her friends standing in the doorway.

The man who'd waited outside was thrust gracelessly into the room, his nose smashed in. Behind him was a man Naoto had never seen before, a tall thin figure in a leather jacket. His hair was silver. His eyes sought Kirijo - then saw the pistol, following its line to Naoto's face. She saw surprise - uncertainty - then anger.

"Akihiko-" Kirijo said quickly.

"Drop the gun," the man said. (Akihiko? Akihiko Sanada? Naoto didn't have time to be dumbfounded.) He withdrew a gun from his own pocket, a blunt make Naoto didn't recognize.

Naoto swallowed. She didn't think about her grandfather. She didn't think about her friends. She didn't think that she was only twenty and about to die. She pulled the trigger.

She saw Kirijo stumble a half step as the bullet hit her chest, then she saw Sanada's eyes widen with shock. He crossed the room to Kirijo's side, gun still in hand. It looked as though he was going to catch her, but he stopped short.

Mitsuru Kirijo steadied herself against the opposite wall, hand pressed to her heart. Her eyes were closed, the skin folded as though in pain. She opened her eyes, looking at neither Sanada nor Naoto. Biting her lower lip, she lifted her hand to study it. There wasn't a spot of blood.


	16. Chapter 16

16.

_3.21.16_

Naoto caught her breath, unsure where to direct her attention. She watched Kirijo. And guessed wrong.

"Caesar!"

Reflexively, she turned and shot, her wasted bullet passing through a gleaming white figure. In another moment, she was both blind and deaf as a shaft of lightning stabbed through her, thrusting her onto hands and knees. She blinked, and by the time she could see again, Sanada's fist had caught her across the face, throwing her back into the wreckage of the robot. Teeth gouging her inner cheek, she could hardly breathe for a moment, only able to gasp out the first syllable of her Persona's name.

Birdlike and swift, Yamato Takeru circled through the air, sword extended, raining down Megidolaon - even now, Naoto resisted the instinct to invoke instant death, though she knew it was a mistake. She had to get a grip, get out of there. As another Ziodyne impaled her, she shouted, "Mahamaon!"

It missed both Sanada and Kirijo, she knew that even as she heaved herself back into a genuflect, legs quivering with pain. Her left arm ached from where Pelletier had fallen on it. She held it close to her body, training her pistol on Sanada. He stood on the far end of the room, breathing hard, one fist raised in a guard, the other holding the gun. Kirijo stood several feet from him, watching Naoto. Her eyes were wide, but she made no move either to help Sanada or to stop the conflict.

Naoto slowly stood, drawing the motion out so she could catch herself if she fell. Her legs trembled but held. Sanada bent his arm, holding the gun to his head.

Yamato Takeru shot towards Caesar, saber extended. Naoto didn't wait to watch, breaking for the door. She knew it probably wouldn't save her, but staying in that office and exchanging blows, then attempting to kill Kirijo again, definitely wouldn't. She heard shouting behind her, Sanada saying Kirijo's name. She stumbled out into the glassed walkway, catching herself against one of the panes, casting either way for signs of pursuit. She shivered, still suffering the aftereffects of the Personas' spells. The rain clouds beyond the window were too close, and she had to keep running or she'd collapse against the cold glass. It would be like falling into the sky..._ I need to find Yukiko...Diarahan..._

Swallowing, tightening her dry throat, she shoved herself off the window and ran on.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Akihiko backed himself against the wall, casting a Diarahan. He wanted to run after the kid with the pistol, but he could hardly keep his thoughts on her. "You did it?" he asked, rounding on Mitsuru. "You said 'what the hell' and changed into - into one of those?"

"No!" For a moment, she was the Mitsuru he'd always known - legs apart, shoulders squared, jaw imperious. Then she turned away, her frame slackening.

"Why were you so scared before?" Akihiko demanded. "You knew you wouldn't die."

* * *

_3.21.16_

"Senpai! What the hell?"

Chie pitched to a halt, her tote swinging on her arm. Her face was dirty, and Kanji could see tear streaks down her face. "I don't know, I - I just-"

"Is someone after you?" He looked past her. No one. They'd almost collided in this empty hall. They were still in the older part of the building, the corridors quiet, dingy. No camera surveillance.

"Have you seen Yukiko? D-do you know where they took her?"

"Didn't see. Get a grip, we gotta think!"

"I - I-"

"Chie?"

"I-"

He grabbed her shoulders and headbutted her. She stepped back, blinking, then swallowed and nodded. "Thanks." She steadied herself, inhaling. "Okay, first part of our plan is to - to all get together. We need to find Yukiko."

Kanji nodded after a moment's hesitation. On his own, he'd've looked for Naoto. But he'd learned he couldn't go running around blindly, no matter what was at stake.

"Okay, okay." Chie said the words rhythmically, regulating her breathing. "They took her...downstairs, didn't they? I think I saw out of the corner of my eye, only that guard was - never mind. So we'll just go back to the front hall-"

"No can do. There're cameras there."

"Okay, then - Don't you think there must be some other hallways that connect to where she went?" She looked up at him, eyes beseeching. The only other woman who had looked at Kanji so imploringly was his mother, and never with that level of fear. He wished he was Souji.

"We won't know until we look. And if we take a few of these shitters down on the way, so much the better."

He expected her to respond with her usual enthusiasm. Her eyes tensed, but she nodded and led the way down the hall.

* * *

_3.21.16_

As she strode up the walkway, Yukari felt there was something wrong in the air. Quite literally. It was flowing too freely down the hall, rattled. It made her think of swiftly-opening doors, hurried movement.

She heard rapid footfalls behind her, then one of those robots charged past, heading for Mitsuru's office. Yukari sprang into a run, easily outdistanced by the automaton.

She found the office doors swung open, one of Mitsuru's bodyguards facedown on the threshold. Beyond him, the other lay in a heap, blood flecking the carpet. Mitsuru leaned her hands on her desk, head bowed, ignoring the robot standing before her. The hearth fire, which Yukari had coaxed up earlier that morning to cheer Mitsuru up, was blazing.

"I am awaiting your commands," the brown-haired robot said. When Mitsuru didn't respond, she repeated it.

"Why did you call a bot? What's going on?" Yukari jogged into the study, trying not to look at the first corpse as she stepped around it. Mitsuru had explained that the robots, created from the discarded remnants of Aigis' "sisters", were for her personal protection, but nothing she'd said could explain what Yukari saw here. "Talk to me!" she finally shouted.

Mitsuru was breathing hard. Yukari wondered if she was about to throw up. She put her hand on her friend's arm. Mitsuru lifted her face to the robot. "Search them out. This - this must stop. Now."

The robot didn't second-guess her, pivoting and dashing out of the room.

"Mitsuru, what's wrong? What's that hole in your blouse?" It looked exactly like a bullet hole, but she didn't want it to be one, so she didn't say it.

"I'm not going to tell you, Yukari," Mitsuru said heavily. "So don't ask again."

"I'm going to shake you if you don't stop giving me this crap!"

Mitsuru glanced into her friend's eyes. She looked as though she were about to cry. "It's...I don't think this is what he wants."

Yukari stared at her carefully. "You are going to tell me exactly what you mean by that."

* * *

_3.21.16_

Neither Athena nor Orpheus or Psyche, which were the only alternate Personas she could still evoke, had Juno's ability to scan areas. But Aigis, the last and most fine-tuned model of her series, could sense sounds, vibrations and variance in temperature imperceptible to a human. She hadn't made a study of it ever before, but now she found herself listening to the rhythms of people's walks, each individual cadence. Cocking her head, she concentrated. Cement conducted vibrations well, but something felt wrong. "A person is coming. I don't recognize them."

In another moment, a familiar, though muffled, voice whispered, "I'm home. And I've brought a - ergh - friend."

"Where is Akihiko? Who is that?" Aigis asked, unlocking the door to the small storage room. She stepped away, taking in the figure slung over Junpei's back, held in place only by her arms. Junpei had the straps of a damp tote in his teeth. He spat them out, letting it flop to the floor. "Dunno to both of 'em. She was running from mooks when I found her. Collapsed. Figured she might be another of those Persona-users."

"That was risky," Aigis said, her tone becoming a shade more mechanical. "But then, if she proves to be an enemy, she is within our power."

"Yeah, well, let's just hope she wakes up." He eased the small figure to the floor, rolling her onto her back. Aigis bent over her. A female, slight and blue-haired. Aigis frowned, then smiled, reminded of Minato, but she didn't let herself dwell on sentiment.

Another figure stirred in a corner of the dark room. "What's - Naoto?" She scrambled over on hands and knees, messy curls bouncing. "It's - is she dead?" Shoving Junpei out of the way, she pressed her fingers to the girl's jugular, then cupped her hand over her mouth, voice weak with relief. "I can feel her breath."

"I think all she needs is rest, maybe a spell or two." Junpei sighed. "But that would give away our position."

"All her vital functions seem to be operational," Aigis said, rechecking the pulse. "Though I cannot measure her brainwaves."

"Stop scaring me, you guys!" said the third person. "All she needs is sleep. If you people would let me scan her to see if anything else is wrong-"

"Be patient, Rise-san," Aigis said. She looked over quickly, eyes sharpening. "Did Akihiko succeed?"

Junpei shook his head. "Dunno what happened exactly. I was holding off some of the guards while he went ahead. Next thing I knew, this kid came blasting down from the office. She'd fainted by the time Akihiko showed up, and all he did was tell me to beat feet back here. And being the docile sidekick I am..." He ended on a shrug. "Don't know if he killed Mitsuru or found Fuuka."

"We must keep looking for Fuuka-chan," Aigis said. "If the group no longer has Kanzeon and Juno, we can use our Personas without fear of immediate detection."

"That's saying Fuuka's gonna betray us." Junpei frowned, indignant. "She's made of sterner stuff than that. Though..." His face fell. "I don't like the idea of them torturing her either."

"They don't have to torture her," Rise said. Nobody could see each other's face clearly, the only light provided by Aigis' faintly glowing eyes, but they could hear the scorn in Rise's voice. "She wants them to know you're coming."

"Yeah, but now that we're here, I bet she'd rather keep us secret," Junpei argued. "We couldn't have got here if we didn't know the Kirijo Group'd gone rotten, and we couldn't have known that if they hadn't been able to attack Persona-users. Which they needed Fuuka's help to do."

"Look, most of my friends are still in danger! Don't try to justify all this! Damn." Rise rubbed at her face.

"There's still Yuka-tan to worry about too," Junpei said after a moment. "From all we've been able to see, she's still tight with Mitsuru."

The girl opened her eyes, her head tilting to see Aigis. Aigis made no move, but the girl's hand went for the gun in her pocket.

"Naoto, you silly reverse trap, it's me!" Rise lunged into her line of vision, grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her up into a hug. "Don't shoot anyone unless you want me to be really, really mad."

"Rise-chan - what? What's going on?"

"Okay," Junpei said, "this means she's an ally?"

The girl, Naoto, pushed away from her friend, glancing around the small circle as if trying to determine who was in charge. All their face were pale, tinged purplish in the light. Junpei's cap shaded his eyes. Aigis set herself, ready to fight if needed. The girl settled on Junpei, her voice unsteady before it settled to a lower, even register. "My name is Naoto Shirogane. I will thank you for saving me once I know exactly into whose hands I have fallen."

"They seem all right," said Rise. "That is, Aigis-san there freed me. Shot off my shackle. I thought I was going to die for a moment. They're Persona-users."

Naoto sat up straighter. "You are?"

Junpei offered his hand. "Name's Junpei Iori. And-"

"You are the Iori who dormed with Mitsuru Kirijo from 2009 to 2010?"

He looked taken aback. "Yeah, and-"

"Aigis - then you are Aigis Arisato?"

"Yeah," Junpei said, "we-"

"Were all of you in that dorm Persona-users? Did Kirijo gather you together? How did you awaken to Persona? What is - I'm sorry," she said, seeing Junpei cross his arms. "I won't interrupt. Please, explain."

* * *

_3.21.16_

Yukiko tensed as there was a knock at the door. By her watch, she'd been left alone for well over an hour. What did that mean? Had her friends all been killed? But wouldn't she have been killed too? Maybe that's what that knock was about, they were coming to kill her. But then, why knock?

Just as she'd thought that, the door was unlocked and her security guard came in, bearing a tray. He spoke brusquely, as if he had many, many more important things to do and had only stopped by because he absolutely had to or his superior officer would shoot his puppy. "Um - if you're hungry-" He passed the tray to her. "All the kitchen had cooking was ramen, but it's not bad. And there's water. And - uh - are you comfortable? That chair looks kinda hard." He glanced around the empty cement room. "Could find you a pillow, I guess."

A wet tote hurtled through the doorway, spinning until it whacked the guard across the back of his head. It was followed in a moment by Chie, landing a kick between his shoulder blades. The guard wheezed and fell forward. "Grab his gun!" Chie shouted, straddling the small of his back and holding his face down.

By the time Yukiko had accomplished that, Kanji had appeared and, together with Chie, flipped the guard over. With practiced fluidity, they stripped off his tie and belt, then went for the socks. As Yukiko wadded them into his mouth ("I'm sorry, but it can't be helped"), she heard Chie say, "Security guards should wear nothing but boxers. Then we couldn't do this." Done tying, she sat back on her heels and sighed. "I'm glad we didn't have to hurt him."

"That kick might've done some damage," said Yukiko.

Chie looked pained. "D-do you think so?"

Kanji stared at Chie for a moment but didn't say anything. He rose and studied the chair Yukiko had been sitting on. It was a folding chair. Metal. Without asking anyone's permission, he folded it and tucked it under his arm.

* * *

_3.21.16_

"So outta nowhere, senpai calls and asks me to help him, and the next thing we know, we're heading for Yakushima-"

"Not quite," Aigis broke in, her eyes narrowing humorously, though she hadn't commented much during Iori's brief - very brief - explanation. "You had to convince Chidori-san everything was all right."

"And failed miserably. That aside, we figured we needed to band together, even if it meant going against Mitsuru. We split up and did some spying on the way - found quite a few people looking for you, incidentally. And we also learned that the group'd kidnapped Risette. So we had to factor that in." Iori rubbed his forehead, as if piling his memories into a messy heap. "So yeah, then we got here, got over the fence, into the mansion - hell, I don't even want to get into that. That was, what, day before yesterday? Sheesh, feels longer. And we figured the first thing we needed to do was find Fuuka-chan and Risette, because they've been the group's eyes. Mitsuru's Persona can also scan, but it's pretty limited."

"Hm," said Naoto. "She told me she had no Persona at all."

Worry crossed Iori's face, lining his forehead. "That's screwed up. Why can't she evoke? Of course..." He trailed off momentarily. "None of us should be able to evoke whenever we want to. S'not how it's supposed to work."

"And the fact that she didn't bleed when I shot her?"

Iori's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean-" He turned quickly to Aigis.

"Those people who don't bleed." Aigis' expression was closed. "We have met them as well."

"I think they're the people Fuuka-san calls ghosts," Rise said. "There's something really wrong with them. They're like humans, but missing something. You're saying Kirijo is one of them?"

"I don't know," Naoto said. "She didn't bleed, but she also didn't appear to sustain any injury. I've shot ghosts before and they all died. This was something different."

"Akihiko's been trying to take down Mitsuru himself," Iori said, rubbing the side of his nose. "I think he's the wrong person to do it. It's not easy to kill someone you proposed to a couple months ago, and-" He winced, looking away. "Well - all of us got a lot of history together."

A history Iori had hardly mentioned. But Naoto sensed now wasn't the time to press for extraneous information. "That explains why he tried to protect her from me. But..." She looked up. "She tried to have him killed in December. How did he account for that?"

Iori shook his head. "He said he heard something about the group doing experiments, did some investigating, found all sorts of trouble. So Mitsuru sicced her people on him."

"What sort of experiments? Have you verified any of this? Are you just trusting him at his word?" Naoto's eyes narrowed. "We appear to have a common enemy, so it could be prudent to work together. But...." She rubbed her throbbing arm, thoughts scattering until the pain subsided.

"We are not sure we can trust you," Aigis said, looking at Naoto. "After all, your own friend called you a trap."

Naoto blinked. "Um."

"She's trustworthy," said Rise. "That is, I trust her."

"You are right not to trust me implicitly," Naoto said, not voicing any of her own reservations about these strangers. Information was precious at this point, and divulging what she knew could put her friends at risk. But without any new leads, she wasn't sure how she could strike against Kirijo. Sanada had professed to be Kirijo's enemy, but he'd defended her life; would these people prove any different? But they'd been candid with their own mission. If they were telling the truth. She looked at Rise.

"I can't say for sure," Rise said, "but I think they're all right."

"They're certainly better than us," Naoto said, "if they've managed to infiltrate the manor this quietly and spy on the Kirijo Group. I have no reason to believe Kirijo didn't plant you here where you could catch us."

"Then why did they free me?" Rise asked, though there was some wariness in her voice. "They haven't used me as bait."

Aigis' head tilted towards the door. "Something is coming."

* * *

_3.21.16_

When she'd finished her explanation, Mitsuru fell silent, gauging Yukari. Her head was still bowed, fine chin tucked close to her throat, long-lashed eyes gazing up. Her lips were set, but something in the angle of her eyebrows betrayed fear and hope. Yukari felt as though she'd reached out and laid hold of her arm. But it was Yukari's hand still resting on Mitsuru's sleeve.

"You... Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I was afraid you would join me."

* * *

_3.21.16_

By then, they could all hear the footsteps stop in front of the door. There was a soft beep, as of something running an electronic scan. Then the doorknob jiggled. Then, with a metallic squeal, the knob rolled entirely around, the metal jaws within grinding and breaking.

They had already stood, Aigis moving to the forefront. Her right hand reformed itself, becoming the thick barrel of a gun. Iori drew a katana of all things.

The door swung open. Even as Naoto saw the long skirt and high-necked jacket, she realized it was Kampe.


	17. Chapter 17

17.

_3.21.16_

There was no room to shoot from behind. Iori and Aigis had already charged, the katana arcing towards Kampe, Aigis landing a kick in the middle of the bot's chest, then shooting at her face as she fell. There was a metallic whir, and Iori was capsized, his swordstroke going wide, as Kampe kicked his legs out from under him. Before Kampe could rise, Aigis bore down on her, gun rattling.

Somehow - Naoto had no clue how - Kampe was still functional, falling back, letting her five enemies spill out of their small room. As Naoto tried to make sense of the flurry of movement, she saw Kampe's Persona leap high above their heads, Megidola scintillating before it crashed down. Naoto crouched against one wall of the narrow hallway, gritting her teeth against the blinding flares and renewed pain.

In a calm refuge in her mind, Naoto remembered that she shouldn't summon. Doubtless, Fuuka Yamagishi would sense the Persona Kampe, but Naoto still retained an advantage if the ghosts didn't know her own location. She wondered if Iori and Aigis could evoke as Sanada had, whether they'd received flowers, whether their Personas operated under different rules entirely. There was no time to wonder, less time to ask.

With a sweep of her right arm, Kampe lofted Iori into the air, firing at him as he hit the wall. Naoto turned from the spurt of blood, shooting for Kampe's head. A black, transparent visor had slid down over her face, and the bullet shot off at an angle. Not looking away from the robot as she evoked again, Naoto reloaded.

She hadn't heard any signal or alarm, but she saw movement in the edges of her eyes. There were two side halls branching off this corridor, badly lit, the righthand one chaotic with the shadows of running men. Glancing, seeing Aigis had pinned Kampe against a wall, Naoto turned her fire on the security guards to her right

The first tumbled back, blood spilling down his legs and stomach. To her left, she felt the air shift as one of the robots attacked, a furious crash. She heard Rise shouting encouragement, but her attention was on her trigger finger, dodging fire, getting a clear shot at the second man - the third. The fourth went down bloodless, and the fifth, stumbling over the corpse of one of his fellows, winged the cusp of her shoulder with his own bullet. She shifted thoughts of the pain aside, shooting the man in his upper chest, already reaching to reload again.

"Guys!" From somewhere, Rise's voice rose over her thoughts. Naoto tried to listen, turning as two more guards ran down the central hallway, meeting Aigis' attack. Kampe had broken away, was rotating her gun-arm stiffly, evoking. Megidola blazed. "We need to run! We'll be captured if - too many-" Naoto wheeled as a bullet sheered past her back, returning fire before she'd fully targeted.

Aigis dove. It looked as though she'd fallen, but she grabbed Iori and slung him over her shoulder, hardly breaking stride. She charged down the lefthand corridor, gun armed cocked. With hardly a decision, Naoto was running, Rise grasping her wrist, dragging her on. Naoto pulled ahead, forcing the two of them to zigzag as bullets flew around them. Rise cried out sharply, but she didn't stop running and Naoto didn't turn to look.

The hallway branched in three directions. Hardly sparing the others a glance, Aigis ran down the right. Naoto and Rise chose the left.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Fuuka sensed the robot's Persona, people fighting in the basements, the deepest, quietest area of the mansion. She bit her lower lip, digging her teeth in, reminding herself that she was no longer going to give the ghosts more information. The Persona-users must remain undiscovered. She hung her head. It had been forty eight hours since she'd eaten, almost a day since she'd had any water. She felt Juno flickering around her, but she fought to keep the Persona corporeal. It was all that closed her off from the ghosts.

Someone was talking, fast and hard. She opened her eyes, Juno dissolving, cold, carefully conditioned air rushing back around her. Her legs buckled, threatened to give way.

"-the alarm's still sounding?" One of the ghosts, the tall black-haired one she thought of as being in charge, rounded on the others. "What the hell's going on?" He glared at Fuuka through his glasses. "Is it Persona?"

"I-" Fuuka coughed, and her voice was stronger. Her fingertips shook as she touched the shackle on her wrist. The ghosts were impatient. They wanted answers, they'd chain her to the wall again. "I sensed the Persona Kampe."

"The bot should have already cleared up any disturbances. She's our best." He pressed a button on his cell. "No response." Fuuka had learned that meant the bot had switched algorithms, was dealing with a perceived emergency. The ghost pushed the glasses up his nose, then gestured to his two assistants. "See if she's malfunctioning. Take some security with you, of course." The ghost didn't turn as the pressurized doors opened. Fuuka thought she heard something - odd. A delay before the doors shut, a gasp. But her head was pounding, eardrums throbbing.

"Now then," the ghost said. "I want you to-" Something flashed in the air behind his head and he fell forward. Fuuka blinked. A young man was standing over the ghost's prone figure, a gleaming golf club raised high.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Mitsuru glanced at her, but she didn't say anything. She didn't have to; Yukari knew what she was thinking: _What are you going to do?_ She shook her head. If she left Mitsuru now, when everything was falling apart, had been falling apart for so long without her knowing, could she forgive herself? Could she forgive herself if she stayed and tried to save Mitsuru, after all her friend had done?

_Do I want Mitsuru's plan to work?_ She swallowed a thrill of shame. Yes. She did, she wanted the same thing. But not this way. Even as she patterned it out, so clear, she shuddered, thoughts and questions rattling into each other. It wasn't that simple. Looking into Mitsuru's eyes, she had to know that.

Yukari made herself ask it. "You...didn't start this because of me, did you?"

* * *

_3.21.16_

They'd been caught unawares in a wide gallery, part of the semi-furnished section of the mansion. There'd been no choice but to dive under the elegant, if dusty, velvet-covered couch. It had a long ruffled skirt they peeked out from under, watching as security personnel pounded by. Kanji felt Yukiko shiver next to him. Chie's lips were pressed together, fists tight.

They waited until they could no longer feel the vibrations from the guards' passage, then crawled out from under the sofa, casting up and down the gallery.

"This isn't good," Chie muttered.

"We need to find somewhere to hide," Yukiko said. There was such unaccustomed firmness in her tone that both turned to look at her. "The place is on high alert. We don't know what set it off. " Worry tensed in her face, but she spoke on. "And we could walk right into another group of guards any second. We're better off if we hide in one place until this blows over."

"What happens if that one place is where the guards go?" Chie asked.

"The more we move around, the better chance they have of seeing us."

"What about Naoto?" Kanji broke in. "You know she's the one who probably caused this shitstorm. I ain't gonna tuck myself into some cubby hole while she's in danger."

Yukiko looked up at Kanji, then away, collarbones rising sharply.

Kanji stared at her. "The hell you saying?"

"I don't know," Yukiko said quickly, shaking her head so her hair flew. "I don't know how this all works. Does it make more sense for them to be searching the manor if she's dead or if she's alive?"

"Could be either," Chie chewed her lower lip. "They - they might be trying to kill us to finish what they started. In fact-" In fact, that made much more sense than searching for them while Naoto was alive and safe and still talking Kirijo around. She didn't say it.

"Or she's on the run." Kanji's voice sounded ragged and odd, even to his own ears. "That's what the search could be about."

"Right." Chie punctuated it with a nod.

"But we need to hide," Yukiko said, not lifting her eyes to Kanji. "We can't do anything if we're caught."

"Damn getting caught!" Kanji growled, though he fought for composure. It was usually a losing battle, but he managed to say, "Where do we hide then?"

Chie jogged up the hall. "We won't know until we look."

* * *

_3.21.16_

Mitsuru paced the length of her bedroom, waiting for the news of the capture. End it quickly. All she'd done, for good or evil, it was time to see the reward for her sacrifice.

She stumbled.

* * *

_3.21.16_

Naoto had to stop running. She was weak from her recent battles; she'd never been strong. Her breath punched through her lungs, muscles smarting as she randomly pulled herself and Rise down hallways lined with doors but no haven. Their pursuit had fallen behind, but it hadn't relented, the clamor of many footsteps preceding them down the hallways. Throat dry, breathless, Naoto made a quick decision. As they turned a sharp corner in a wide passage, she slid to a halt, using their momentum to swing Rise in front of herself. "Keep running."

"Don't you dare-"

"You're useful. Don't argue." Not waiting to see if Rise obeyed, she turned and raised her pistol, sighting around the corner just as the guards appeared. She missed her first shot, a returned bullet digging through her bruised cheek, splashing blood down her jaw. She didn't even see herself shoot that guard in the chest, mind already targeting the next, squinting against the gunfire. She pressed into the wall, her only protection, bringing down two more. There were still four, perhaps more to follow at any moment. Swearing, she fell back from the wall because they were almost on her and she needed room to maneuver, even though that meant she was vulnerable to every last bullet -

She felt the air shift next to her. Glancing, she saw the sole of a very large shoe. Then the shoe landed in her side and threw her shoulder-first into the wall just as a bullet passed where her face had been. Aside from the overwhelming pain of it all, the impact blackened her vision a moment, and when she could see again, Chie had kicked a gun out of one guard's hand, Yukiko was spinning, her fan slashing across his face. A folding chair cartwheeled through the air, Kanji grabbing another guard and slamming him into the wall. The chair landed across the third guard's forehead, drawing blood. Mechanically, Naoto lifted her throbbing right arm and shot the final guard, even as his bullet lodged in Chie's left thigh. She tumbled.

Yukiko had already dropped to her knees by the time Naoto reached Chie. She was still conscious, hands clenched around the entry wound on her outer thigh. Yukiko raised her hand. Even as Naoto saw the blue glimmer the presaged Amaterasu's card, she clapped her hand over Yukiko's, squeezing for emphasis. "We'll be found if you evoke!" Yukiko, stronger than the small detective, thrust her hand away, eyes narrowed. "Kanji!" Naoto called out, hoping he'd listen regardless of Chie's state. In a moment, Kanji had bent and captured Yukiko's hand in both of his own. She twisted away but couldn't break free.

"If they find us, we'll all die," Naoto said, hoping Yukiko and Chie were bothering to listen. "But if we remain calm, she'll be fine. It didn't hit an artery."

"What should I do?"

Naoto turned, realizing that Rise was still there, had never run. She wasn't surprised. Rise knelt at Naoto's other side. "Apply pressure to the wound," Naoto said. Rise, unused to dealing firsthand with battle, paled at that, but set her mouth and obeyed. Chie was biting her lower lip, making no sound. Naoto dug in her tote, found her button-up shirt. She vented some of the anxiety she refused to show by ripping it into long strips. Yukiko no longer struggled and now seemed to be holding Kanji's hand for support, leaning into his shoulder. A Diarahan would instantly set Chie right, leaving her with no threat of infection or blood loss, but as long as the Kirijo Group had Juno, it was too risky to call on their Personas.

"Here, Yukiko-senpai," Naoto said, passing over the strips almost by way of apology, "you should bandage her." Yukiko nodded and accepted them, not looking up from her work. There were tears on her cheeks. Naoto glanced over her shoulder. Had she heard someone up the hallway? She wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry, guys," Chie said, clearing her throat. "Shoulda jumped higher, but-"

"Save it for later." Chie's leg bandaged, Kanji bent and lifted her easily, bridal-style. She winced but tried to laugh it off.

"Keep the leg elevated as much as you can." Naoto stood, needing a moment to gather herself. She hadn't killed so many people at once before - how many were really dead? - Chie was hurt - where could they hide? Would they ever get out of this mansion? What had happened to Aigis and the others?

* * *

_3.21.16_

Souji didn't pester with questions, though he dearly wanted to. Particularly because it was clear his friends were in trouble. He cast a wary look up the corridor ahead, then back at Fuuka. Yosuke walked behind the small, thin woman, guarding their backs. Sensing Souji's stare, he glanced over and grimaced. He didn't like protecting Fuuka; Souji didn't have to ask. Nor did he entirely blame him. Fuuka, exhausted and close to fainting, hadn't been capable of a coherent explanation, but some of things she'd said made it sound as though she'd been helping this Kirijo Group. She'd admitted to trying to convince Rise to do the same. But Souji couldn't bring himself to leave her to her captors, and - if he had to rationalize it - it was wisest to remove the Kirijo Group's eyes.

Souji tightened his grip on the golf club, but he was nothing if not self-controlled. Namatame holding Nanako hostage in an alternate reality hadn't undone him, and this wouldn't either. Right now, it was a matter of avoiding the mooks, finding a place to hide, and then planning their next assault. They were doing pretty well, he thought, making their way through the mansion, leaving a trail of comatose Kirijo employees in their wake. Now if only they could make contact with the others...of course their phones were still off. As he studied the quiet hallway, he noticed there was an unused electrical outlet in one corner. He didn't need to squint to make out the line of blood, thin and glimmering softly.

Up the hall, he heard two people talking, arguing hotly in some language he didn't understand. Souji glanced back at Yosuke, then nodded. A nod could mean a lot of things: _Are you with me? Can you keep this up? Do we agree that I'm still in charge? _This one meant,_ Still good for some ass-kicking?_

Yosuke tossed one knife into the air, hilt slapping into his palm.


	18. Chapter 18

18.

_3.21.16_

Kanji saw Naoto check her watch. He didn't ask what time it was and he didn't look at his own. Last he'd looked, it had been nearly eight thirty in the night. They were well past hungry, past complaining about being hungry.

Despite the shallow gash on her leg, Rise still had the most energy of any of them, and it had been she who had found this room; it was an abandoned study behind an old guest bedroom, if the disassembled bedframe leaning against the wall was any indication. It had also been Rise's idea to hide in this area of the manor. "The main rooms are all under surveillance, and they'll expect us to go to the basements, where no one's supposed to go." This part of the manor was semi-furnished, given over to guest chambers, libraries and neglected art rooms.

A small window high in the wall lent the only light aside from their phones, none of which were out. In the semi-light, Kanji could see that Chie had fallen asleep, head pillowed on Naoto's coat. Yukiko sat nearby, sometimes watching closely, sometimes absently braiding her hair. They'd already ripped apart her old blouse to change the bandaging.

Rise, sitting at the far end of the room, pulled her cell out and stared at it. Noticing Kanji watching, she frowned. "I keep thinking we should just call the police for help."

"In the pay of the Kirijo Group," Naoto said dully from her seat by the door. "It wouldn't surprise me." She rubbed her face. "Nothing would surprise me right now." Naoto hadn't said much in the last few hours, even to explain things. She'd avoided looking at them as well, especially Chie and Yukiko. "We have to get out of here."

They'd discussed that too, until Rise had finally said that they all needed a break. And rest. That had been at least an hour ago.

Kanji stood and paced for a bit - sat down - refolded the contents of his tote - stretched - refused to look at his watch. Perhaps an hour had passed before anyone spoke again.

"Do you-" Rise glanced over at Naoto, who hadn't moved from her spot. "I've never done anything like this before, but do you think we should sleep in shifts, or what?"

Naoto stirred herself, turning halfway in Rise's direction. "That would be prudent. The first watch is the easiest. Who wants to take it?"

"Well, when you put it that way, no one's going to volunteer." There was a slight laugh in Rise's voice. "We don't want to look like noobs."

"We are noobs." Yukiko's voice was uncharacteristically grim. "I - acted badly earlier. I'll take a middle watch."

Naoto didn't respond. Rise frowned at Yukiko. "No one's punishing you, you know." She looked around the circle. "Well, if none of you is going to jump forward and be lazy, I'll do it. Lights out, everyone. Den Mother Rise says it's time for bed."

Sighing, Kanji stretched himself out on his back, hands behind head, staring at the ceiling. Yukiko curled up between Chie and Rise.

"You too, Naoto-kun," Rise said severely. "If you don't go to sleep, I'll tell Kanji to knock you out."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Naoto lower herself onto her side, arm hooked under her head. She'd held the remains of his old shirt to her cheek for the better part of an hour, stopping the bleeding from where the bullet had grazed her. Her shoulder had stopped bleeding earlier, and, like the others, she was still covered with bruises. She probably had a huge one from the kick he'd given her that afternoon. He was used to kicking Souji and Yosuke out of harm's way during a fight, but he hadn't factored in that Naoto was much smaller and had pretty much no muscle to protect her. Well, a bruise, even a bad bruise, was better than a bullet through the head. Even she'd have to agree.

Studying her, he could make out that ragged tear on her lower lip, where she'd bitten down accidentally. Somehow, with all of the other things that had happened, that was what made him flinch and look away.

* * *

_3.21.16_

"Persona-users."

Kanji grunted, then sat up, looking for the stranger who had spoken. The girls were also raising themselves, even Chie lifting her head.

"This is Mitsuru Kirijo."

"Is there some kind of intercom?" Rise whispered, staring at the ceiling, which, as far as any of them could tell, was where the voice came from. The syllables rang out clearly through the room, unhindered by the many walls and floors that - hopefully - separated them from the speaker.

"We are evacuating this mansion." There was nothing triumphant or even hostile in the voice. It reminded Kanji of an automatic recording, just as unhurried and unconcerned. "It is regrettable, but we will have to destroy what data we cannot take with us. You have twenty minutes before detonation. With luck, we will meet again shortly."

"What?" said Chie. "This is like some cheesy kids' show! What is this, Featherman?"

"I don't think we'll be hearing anything else," Rise said, voice shaking as she climbed to her feet. "Now seems like a good time for some Personas, right?"

"It may be a trap," Naoto said quickly, rising. "She may want us all to evoke just so she can find us."

"I think it's time we talked to the others," Yukiko said, looking at her phone. "I'm getting call after call from Yosuke-kun."

* * *

_3.21.16_

"Okay," Souji said, "let me get this straight. We've got Fuuka, you've got Rise, so there's no reason we can't let loose our Personas?"

"Right," came Yukiko's voice. Souji had her on speaker. "We can go all out now."

"Or we could," Yosuke shot back, "if Souji and I had gotten some friggin' flowers in the first place!"

A short silence. Then they heard Kanji's voice. "Man, you still don't have your Personas?"

"Um, no," Souji said while Yosuke throttled an imaginary Kanji.

"Perhaps Kirijo didn't know about you," came Naoto's voice.

"You mean they slipped her notice?" That was Chie. "Hm, could be. Or they're not important enough."

"Cut that crap," Yosuke interrupted. "We need to haul ass outta here. I don't care if that Kirijo's bluffing, I'm not going to stick around to call her on it."

"Yeah," Souji said. "We're higher up than you guys, and we haven't seen any employees for awhile. It's too quiet. I think they've really left."

"What about the others?" That was Rise's voice, fainter, as if she'd turned away from the phone to speak to someone else. "Aigis and-"

"I've no doubt they heard the message as clearly as we did," Naoto said. "Yosuke-senpai's right. Where are you two?"

"Second floor," Souji said. "We'll find a way out, don't worry. We'll meet up - where? The ferry, tomorrow? Think you can get there fast enough?"

"We'll manage," Naoto said. "You two take care of yourselves."

"Always do. Stay safe." Souji stowed the phone. "Okay, Yosuke, your turn to carry her."

"Damn." Yosuke groaned but hoisted Fuuka's insensate form onto his back, dangling her arms over his shoulders. "Lead on. And hurry." As he followed, Souji heard him mutter, "Damn flowers. _Not important enough_ my ass."

* * *

_3.21.16_

Yukiko didn't wait for permission to summon Amaterasu, bathing them all in several Mediarahans, stopping blood flow, reknitting skin, fading bruises, and driving the bullet out of Chie's leg, making it whole again. Chie wadded up the bloody rags and threw them into the corner, bouncing on her leg to see if it took her weight. "Just perfect, Yukiko. Now what? We hunt for a door?"

"We can't waste time fruitlessly running around-" Naoto started.

"I'll scan the area." Kanzeon's striped gown rolled across the floor; she turned her unseeing face from side to side, satellites flashing even in the half light. "All the doors leading outside are pretty far away," Rise said. "We've got a wall here, not too thick. Leads to a garden. I'm thinking that if we had a really big bruiser Persona, we could just make our own exit."

"Everyone outta the room," Kanji ordered. As Kanzeon dispersed and the three girls backed into the next room, Kanji opened his palm and found a card. "Time for a little _renovating_, you hear?"

Rokuten Maoh's fist rammed through the wall, causing the room to shake, part of the wall to fall in and the ceiling to tremble. They didn't pause to see if anything else came down, running headlong into the dark night. Naoto summoned her card, just so she could see by the blue glow. They faced a lovely stand of delphinium, beyond it, the high concrete wall.

"This is a good time to have Kanji-kun around," Rise remarked as Rokuten Maoh re-appeared, hauled his fist back, and punched a wide gap in the wall.

"Hurry," Naoto said. "We do not want to be associated with anything that has happened, or is about to happen, here." She let her card disappear, the better to run.

They were on the beach-side of the mansion, and a couple moments of running found them thrashing into the thick forest, then down the slope to the shore. Naoto could hear Yukiko dialing as she ran, then talking. "You guys okay?" Naoto smacked into a tree, blood stippling her chin and palms. She pushed off, summoning her card in front of her. The others also had their cards out, both as a means to see and to protect themselves.

"They're out," Yukiko puffed. "They came out on the other side. Maybe they'll be able to circle around-" she puffed "-and find us."

Most of them stumbled when they hit the soft sand of the beach, falling onto hands and knees, Rise voluntarily spread-eagling herself. "I never want to see a dark room again," she declared. "Lots of light. Big open spaces."

"Keep going." Naoto spat sand out of her mouth. "We need to be as far away as possible."

"The forest, right?" Chie jumped into a run, her knees grazed and bleeding. "I really hate that forest, you know that?"

"I wonder if the others made it out okay," Rise said, running alongside Naoto. "Iori-san was hurt pretty bad and - They weren't my friends or anything, but-" She shook her head and ran faster.

The ground rumbled as they reached the forest. By the time Naoto wheeled around, smoke and ash had flumed upwards into the night as one wall of the mansion crumbled in. They watched in silence as the mansion fell by degrees, almost systematically, like the clockwork sound of Kirijo's voice over the intercom. Rise clutched Naoto's arm with one hand, the other holding onto Kanji, who didn't seem to notice.

"Whoa," said Chie. "Did - did they have that always set up? I mean, was that built into the house?"

"I can't guess," Naoto said, her voice sounding weak to her ears. House lights glittered across the dark hills, then were obscured by the rolling smoke. "There are going to be sirens soon. We'd better keep moving."

"I hope the boys are okay," Yukiko whispered, dialing yet again as they all turned to keep fighting their way through the forest.

* * *

_3.21.16_

"Dude," Yosuke breathed, watching smoke bloom like a bush over the wreckage of the Kirijo mansion. Souji had never heard so much awe and relief in one syllable. He nodded solemnly as the two watched from the street, half a mile away.

On his back, he felt Fuuka Yamagishi stir. "What's...?"

"Go back to sleep, Fuuka-san," he said. A siren cut through the night. "We'll be moving on."


	19. Chapter 19

19.

_3.22.16_

None of them had enjoyed their method of entering the gated community, but at least they had the assurance of doing it under their own power. Nobody was comfortable with their means of leaving.

"We're being followed, right?" Chie whispered. "You're sure we're not bugged?"

Naoto walked ahead of the others, where they could easily see the tension in her shoulders. It had been a rough night, trying to sleep in the forest, listening to the endless sirens. In the morning, they'd changed out of any clothes with rips or bloodstains, leaving them with a mishmash of clothes that, while rumpled, weren't entirely suspicious. Naoto, for her part, was back in her trousers and hat, but she didn't express any relief, nor did she speak much to the others.

They'd reached the gate around nine in the morning, hiding in the cover of the forest. The main paved road had been rumbling with police vehicles day and night, papers and news sites discussing the sudden collapse of the Kirijo mansion and its unaccountable evacuation. No one knew where Mitsuru Kirijo and her entourage had gone; there was no sign of their boarding the ferry, nor any plane leaving the island's small air strip.

They had waited three hours, looking for a way through the gate. Around noon, even the police traffic halted, and then a strange thing happened: the security guards ostentatiously shut off their cameras, left their posts, and went to lunch. The senior guard bowed in the direction of the forest before getting into his car.

As suspicious as it was, as much as it looked like a trap, they went through the gate. They had no food, and they could have gone only back to the mansions and the media crews.

"They're tracking us, right?" Chie persisted.

"Yes," Naoto clipped. "It seems evident that those guards are in the pay of Kirijo and she desires to meet us again."

"Do you think we're bugged?" Chie looked down at herself. "Or tagged, or whatever?"

"Their only opportunity of tagging us would be when they searched our gear yesterday." Naoto still didn't look back. "I already checked all of our equipment. It's clean."

Rise frowned at Naoto's back, but shook her head.

"Do you think the ferry will still be leaving?" Yukiko asked. "They might've stopped all traffic on the island."

"That'd be really hard," Rise said. "Nothing's more frightening than thwarted tourists. Especially foreigners."

"First things first," Kanji said, "can we get some food?"

They stopped at the first restaurant they came to, a seafood place full of tourists. Kanji, Chie, Yukiko and Rise each ordered piles of food. Naoto mainly wanted coffee, jet black. She called Souji and Yosuke while the others ate, her voice tired but efficient.

"They're close to the ferry," she said as she closed the phone. "They say one's going to leave at two thirty. I...wonder if that's part of Kirijo's munificence?"

"There's no other way off the island, unless we steal a plane, or buy another boat," Yukiko said glumly. "I feel like we're walking into a trap."

"I just hate the idea that she's making us indebted to her," Rise said suddenly, glaring into her juice. "Do everything on her schedule. And this means she can trace us. Tracing people's _my_ job." Rise didn't often sound bitter, but there was a hint of it now.

"We'll do our best to shake her once we reach the mainland," Naoto said, finishing her coffee.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Chie asked, rather tentatively.

"Yes," Naoto said without looking over. "A defensible location."

* * *

_3.22.16_

"Don't mind her, she's just tired," Yosuke said to the Spanish couple who stared at Fuuka where she was slumped in a deck chair, eyes shut. "Lots of partying last night." Neither of them appeared to know much Japanese, and his tone evidently wasn't that encouraging, because their eyebrows remained arched. But at least they looked away.

There was something comforting having so many of them together all at once again. Yosuke sighed, coming to the ferry railing and sliding in between Kanji and Souji. Well, now they were out of the madhouse. They could concentrate on getting Teddie back. Hopefully. He glanced down the line of his friends - Chie, leaning into the wind, trying to chivvy Yukiko to laughter. Rise talking to Souji, though she didn't seem as bubbly as usual. Kanji lost in thought, oblivious to the others. Naoto facing away from the sea, hiding in her coat. All it needed was a multicolored bear to complete the picture.

Normally, they would've been ecstatic at being in the same place at the same time - it had happened so infrequently during the past few years. While all of them seemed relieved to be together, they were far from exuberant.

"All right," Souji said presently, "we need to plan our next step."

Naoto straightened her shoulders, cheeks pale. "Very well then. When we dock, I think we should split up and take different trains to Yasoinaba Station."

"That's going to be hard," Souji said. "Only one or two tracks go there."

"We'll stagger the trips," Naoto explained. "Some going immediately, others waiting to take later trains. If we move in one big unit, it's just too easy for Kirijo to keep track of us. Though...there is the added danger of isolated attacks. As for the groups..." She paused and then looked up at Souji, waiting for his input. Yosuke shook his head. Even now, Souji was the leader.

Souji leaned back against the railing, crossing his arms. "We should balance out the teams in case we're attacked. How many groups were you thinking of, Naoto?"

"Three or four."

"Many eggs in many baskets," Yosuke said. "Gotcha."

Chie stared blankly at him. "What? Eggs?"

Souji talked over the explanation that Yosuke wasn't going to give anyway. "Okay then, we have one healer, two people with scanning Personas." He glanced at Fuuka. "Two potential scanning Personas, that is. Yosuke and I don't have any Personas at the moment, Chie and Kanji beat things up, and Naoto kills things instantly when she doesn't miss."

"It sounds like we're screwed no matter what we do," Yosuke said.

Souji rubbed his chin. "I'll look after Fuuka-san. Seems best to keep her with people she knows. Yosuke, you go with Rise and Chie."

"Not bad," Yosuke said, assuming a smile; they'd been frowning enough.

"I think he wants us to take care of you," Chie remarked, hands on hips.

Souji drummed his fingers on his arm, looking the last three over. "Kanji and Yukiko together." That would balance out the excellent mage and the not-so-excellent mage. "Naoto, come with me and Fuuka-san." Yosuke noticed Kanji shoot Souji a doubtful look. He'd file that away for later. It was always worth it to rile Kanji up, as long as you were out of striking range.

Yukiko retrieved a train schedule from a kiosk at the ferry's center, and the seven of them bent over it. "Souji and I should take the 4:20," Naoto said. "I'll pave the way. And Fuuka-san needs somewhere to rest."

"Pave the way?" Yosuke repeated. "Just where are we going?"

Naoto looked up from the schedule. "The Shirogane estate."

* * *

_3.22.16_

Fuuka woke up a little before the ferry docked, and she was able to walk down the gangway and wait with Souji and Naoto in the train station, though she had to lean on Souji's arm by the end. She didn't say much, once thanking Souji for rescuing her, and once apologizing for being so weak. As soon as they took their seats in the train, she leaned against the window and closed her eyes. Souji and Naoto sat opposite her. Naoto took the window seat, tipping her hat down over her eyes and crossing her arms on her stomach. Souji wondered if she were going to try to sleep, but he didn't see any point in asking.

He bent his right leg, drawing his knee almost to his chest in a stretch. Rough going, these last few days. And still no sign of Teddie. Of all the people to vanish, why him? Souji wasn't the type of person to tabulate his relationships - choose one friend over another or set them up in tidy ranks - he hadn't even let himself approach the girls for dates, though he'd felt drawn to each of them at one point or another. But even if he never said it, he knew he worried more about Teddie than he did about anyone else. Teddie was so ridiculously naïve, and he seemed to draw such assurance from Souji. Teddie had once proclaimed that if he ever assumed a surname, it was going to be Hanamura-Seta, which had thrown Yosuke into conniptions. But there was a real point in that: Teddie had lived with Yosuke's family for years, and he seemed to draw some sense of self from Souji. And with Teddie gone, Souji didn't feel at ease with himself either. It was too much like when he'd almost lost Nanako.

He'd hardly heard a sound from Naoto, even her breathing. Glancing over, he saw she hadn't moved. He also saw the thin trail of a tear sliding down her cheek, her eyes hidden by the cap. He looked quickly away. Should he try to comfort her? What had upset her? He'd seen Naoto distraught, even in tears after the Phantom Thief episode. She'd been devastated when Nanako was hospitalized. And she'd wept when he'd first left Inaba. Those were the only times he'd seen her crying. Though he remembered, as he recalled every encounter with perfect clarity, that her Shadow had accused her of crying in private.

It had been years since he'd talked to Naoto on a day-to-day basis, and while he still felt close to her, he wasn't sure how she'd respond to his prying. Rise, Yukiko, even Chie crying would have been more straightforward. As for Yosuke, Kanji or Teddie sobbing - no problem. But Naoto?

_Who am I to talk her out of crying?_ Souji decided after a moment. _Times like this, I feel like crying myself. _

But he didn't cry, and, glancing over, he didn't see a second tear. When they were halfway to Yasoinaba, he turned at the sound of her opening her cell and dialing. "Yakushiji-san? Yes, I... I'm coming home for several days and bringing some friends. Please send three cars to Yasoinaba Station at these times..."

* * *

_3.22.16_

"Okay, no disaster yet," Yosuke said, settling himself into his seat while checking over his shoulder for - anything. Who knew what they'd face next? Rise and Chie sat opposite him, the latter staring out the window. They didn't speak as other passengers shuffled past them, arranging themselves and their belongings. Finally, the train pulled forward.

"I'm glad we're heading for Naoto's," Rise said. She'd been tapping her foot softly during the wait. "It's been ages since we were there, right Chie-senpai? Chie?"

"Huh - ? Oh, yeah." Chie glanced over.

"That's right, you girls have been there before," Yosuke said. From what he'd heard, Naoto had invited the girls on occasion, even overnight. Yosuke had never even seen a picture of the estate, but it didn't sound like the sort of house you could party crash. "What's it like? Olympic-size pool?"

"No pool," Rise said, "but there's a hot tub. And the food's great."

Yosuke swallowed. "Great? You mean...spicy?"

"Some of it," Rise said defensively. "You know, it's spice that makes food memorable."

"I've known you long enough not to trust your judgment on food." He winked at her. "How 'bout you, Chie? Is the food any good?"

Chie crossed her legs. "Why ask me? I do more than eat, you know."

"O...kay," Yosuke said.

Rise raised her eyebrows at Chie, then went on. "There's this gorgeous fountain in the front where we took pictures. And a shooting range, but we didn't go there. Her grandpa's kinda into gardening, so there are some nice flowery walkways and stuff. And trees. It's not a super-huge estate, but it's really pretty."

"That doesn't sound very defensible," Yosuke said, employing Naoto's term.

"Well, there's also the big wall around everything. And motion detectors and cameras everywhere. And some guards. And watchdogs. And a lot of the staff wear scary dark glasses."

"Gotcha," Yosuke said. "I guess the old family home for a bunch of detectives would be pretty paranoid."

Rise slumped theatrically. "But we're not gonna to be able to enjoy any luxuries. Nobody can kill a good time like Naoto."

Yosuke pulled the trigger of an imaginary pistol. "Hama and Mudo. Instant death."

"Well, we all need to be more focused," Chie said, still staring out the window. "We can't just laze around and have fun. Especially because Yosuke doesn't even have a Persona, so he's as good as helpless."

"What the-!" Yosuke had initially been thrown by Chie's statement that they shouldn't have fun, but casting up his Persona to him - that was going leagues too far. "Damn, what's your problem?"

Chie stood quickly. "I'll be right back."

Rise stretched her legs out, blocking Chie's way. "Nuh-uh, we have to stick together. Play nice." Chie tightened her fists, glared in the general area between Rise and Yosuke, then sat again. Yosuke shrugged elaborately. When she got like this, there was no point trying to figure Chie out.

He checked over his shoulder as another passenger sat behind him. Chie didn't have it all wrong. No time for fun yet.

* * *

_3.22.16_

"This train is pretty crowded, huh?" Yukiko said softly. Kanji could tell she wasn't complaining - was just trying to say it as an innocent observation.

"Yeah," Kanji said. It was as much as either had said during the whole first half of the train ride. Everything they discussed had to sound unremarkable and vague, what with the girl in the seat opposite them.

"Is it always this bad?" she asked in fractured Japanese. She was a little younger than them, blonde, pretty, and she'd given Kanji a lengthy look he wasn't sure how to take.

Yukiko was used to answering strangers' questions, which was good, because Kanji wasn't in the mood for small talk. He ignored them, the girl chattering ungrammatically, Yukiko's answers as short as she could keep them while remaining polite. There was just a chance, Kanji thought, she was an enemy spy. Much more likely just an annoying tourist.

He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back, doing his best to appear un-noteworthy as he scanned their train car. Nothing suspicious. He'd begun checking without even telling himself to; had the past few days made it second nature? Kanji didn't like the thought of it, accustoming himself to constant danger. He didn't see how Naoto could have chosen a profession that opened herself to that. Of course, there were times when he wondered if he ever understood Naoto.

He didn't expect to understand her thing for ferreting through old murder mysteries - that was beyond him, and that was fine. And while he could get behind beating the shit out of people who asked for it, he wasn't sure he'd volunteer to do it for a profession. And even if Naoto wasn't a cop, she placed herself in harm's way often enough, knew she might have to take lives, and still accepted more jobs. And even when she didn't come in the line of fire, her job revolved around crime - thefts, rapes, murders - always lives broken in some way. How did it feel, once that all started to pile up on you?

Maybe he understood it. It was how she made a difference.

And maybe it was right she'd gone with Souji; he knew her better. Kanji shifted around, putting his hands in his pockets and looking down. He'd didn't resent his senpai - exactly. He didn't resent Naoto. He didn't want to. It was just hard to face five years of wanting someone and getting so little in return.

_Grow up,_ he told himself. _Ain't no time to throw yourself a pity party._ He sat up straighter. This might be a respite from the stress they'd been under for the past forty eight hours, but it was hardly the end of it. Kirijo had said they'd meet again, and soon. _Better not catch you moping._

Yukiko threw Kanji a pained look. The tourist was trawling through her phone, showing an unwilling Yukiko pictures from her vacation around Japan. Kanji turned away from all of it. Friends were friends, but there was no way he was getting dragged into this.

Besides, it meant he could keep a better watch on the other passengers.


	20. Chapter 20

20.

_3.22.16_

They didn't talk much on the ride out of Yasoinaba Station, sitting side by side in the back of a car that was unremarkable but for its tinted windows - and that it had a chauffeur. Fuuka still slept. Naoto didn't know what Souji thought of all this, and she wasn't going to ask. All she wanted was to get home with her composure intact. She looked out the window, her eyes tracing the familiar swells of countryside, the stands of trees. She'd grown up at the Shirogane estate, ever since her parents' death when she was small. Though her constant traveling meant she often lived elsewhere, it remained her permanent residence. Over the years, she'd covered this car ride hundreds of times, traveling from Yasoinaba to the countryside manor.

She pulled her thoughts away from fond reminiscence. Just now, she hardly deserved them.

Unconsciously, she straightened her spine as they passed between the iron-wrought gates, easing up the narrow, tunnel-like avenue laced with roses, not yet blooming. The road opened into the manor's grounds, the circular causeway surrounding the fountain, the small mansion beyond. Souji didn't goggle, which was one reason she liked him.

She thanked the driver, then led Souji up the front steps, the boy's golf club resting across his shoulder. "Should I do something with this?" he asked, see-sawing it a bit.

Naoto shook her head, about to put her hand on the door, but it opened for her. Yakushiji stepped out, light winking off his sunglasses. He strode quickly towards Naoto, holding out one hand - then something in his posture shifted as he really looked at her. More composed, less genuine, he bowed and said, "Naoto-sama, it is good to see you home." Another bow for Souji. "You are most welcome here, Seta-san."

"Yakushiji-san, we have an ill woman in the back of the car. Please have her taken to the clinic and call for Dr. Ishikawa." Lifting his eyebrows only slightly, Yakushiji spoke into the radio on his collar, relaying Naoto's instructions before he led them inside, casting Naoto a more concerned look.

Even Souji, phlegmatic as he was, tilted his head to look up at the high ceiling as they stepped within, the shallow central staircase and galleries winging out to each side. Despite the tall, diamond-paned windows, the mansion always seemed dark, its furnishings elegant but functional and unadorned. There were few curios displayed, though many fine paintings hung on the walls - decorative and in no one's way. (Naoto had spent the summer of her sixth year testing every wall in the house for safes, spy holes, swinging walls, sliding panels and hidden passages. She'd found seven safes, thirteen spy holes, five panels, three passages, but no swinging walls. She still believed there were some to be found, she just hadn't discovered them yet.) The house had been in her family for generations, ever since Minoru Shirogane had made it rich as a detective in the late 1800s.

When they came to the top of the stairs, Naoto halted. "It's late," she said, knowing she had to get rid of Souji, at least for a few minutes. "Is it possible for us to freshen up before we meet with Grampa?" Yakushiji inclined his head deferentially. "Then please conduct Souji-senpai to his room." She glanced at him. "I'll see you in a bit." Not looking back, she started down the hallway that led to her grandfather's study.

For as long as she could remember, the study had been an extension of her own territory. She'd played there as a child, then gone inside to read the books on law, criminology, forensics, medicine, science, and all manner of detective novels. She'd come to her grandfather to ask questions about difficult cases, clear her mind, or just for the rare chance to be with someone else. The only times Grampa had barred her from the room had been when he'd met with clients, and as she got older, he'd allowed her to sit in the hidden room behind the cabinet and listen in.

She passed through the hallways without thinking about where she was going, stopping in front of the tall wooden door and knocking four times, a pair of two short raps - as she'd done since she was five. Her special knock, used only by herself. She'd thought it was exciting, secretive and ultra-clever. He'd probably thought it was cute. Even during her early teens, when she'd most wanted to appear adult, forcing herself to stop reading adventure stories and crafting unnecessarily elaborate gadgets, she'd never abandoned the secret knock. She didn't wait for a reply before entering.

Masaru Shirogane looked up from a newspaper spread across his desk, the sharp lines of his face deepening into an eager smile - then he frowned, noticing something amiss in his grandchild's expression. Naoto knew something was there, and there was no use in hiding it. She stepped in, closing the door behind her, knowing he was taking in the discolored tote on her shoulder, her unkempt hair, the grungy tee shirt under her coat. She shrugged the tote onto the leather easy chair, gathering her thoughts. Her eyes traveled to the line of small photos on the wall - each of the Shirogane detectives, ending with a photo of herself at eleven. There were some artistic photographs, taken when her grandfather was young and had notions of being a photographer instead of a detective. A row of medals, won by himself, stood in a case on a shelf behind his head. On the end was a small, flowery pink ribbon declaring the winner _Miss Yasogami 2011_. He had said it was one of the family's greatest distinctions. She hadn't wanted it anywhere near her room.

By then he'd stood, hands clasped behind. He was tall and thin, his dark hair combed rigorously back. He looked much healthier than when she'd seen him in December, getting over pneumonia. "What has happened?"

Naoto swallowed. "Do sit down, Grampa."

* * *

_3.22.16_

"Hey," Yosuke said, opening the car window and leaning to look out as they left the cover of the rose avenue, "pretty nice. Figures there'll be no time for hot tubs. My life will always be cursed."

"If you're done monologing," Chie said, trying to finger-comb her hair smooth, "could we try to act serious and intelligent? We are meeting a professional detective, you know."

"Dude, Naoto's a professional detective, and none of us bother to look nice for her," Yosuke reminded her. "Though-" and he looked down at the sorry state of his tee shirt "-I see what you mean."

* * *

_3.22.16_

"How's Fuuka-san doing?" Souji asked when Yakushiji came to the door of his room to inform him that dinner would be served in a quarter hour. He hadn't seen anyone since Yakushiji had conducted him to this room - which was quite nice, plush furniture, decent TV.

"Ms. Yamagishi's condition is stable," Yakushiji said. "Dr. Ishikawa is seeing to her." Naoto had said to have Fuuka taken to "the clinic". Souji wasn't surprised this house, owned by detectives with a hereditary lech for trouble, had its own clinic, plus a doctor to call at a moment's notice. "And I am informed the second car has entered the estate," Yakushiji added. "There is a sitting room down the lefthand hall. I will convey your friends there, if that is acceptable." Souji nodded. Somehow, even Yakushiji discerned he was the leader. Souji wasn't vain, but he did wonder how people knew.

He hadn't been long in the sitting room, gazing out a window that overlooked the fountain, when Yosuke and the girls sauntered in. "Made it in one piece, partner? More than I can say," he added in an undertone, glancing back at Chie (who, Souji noted, did look peeved; maybe not Critical Hit peeved, but peeved nonetheless). "Think Naoto can finagle us some hot tubs?"

"We aren't here to goof off," Chie shot back. "I just-" She sighed and flopped back into a chair. "I just wanna rest, but there's no time. What's that crazy group going to do next? Where are they?"

"I hear you," said Souji, and Chie looked relieved to have someone on her side. "Last few days, it's been one thing after another. Trains, looking for Teddie, jumping into TVs..."

"TVs?" Rise asked. "I thought you only jumped into one TV."

Yosuke grinned. "Damn, no. On the island, we were stuck for hours trying to get into the gated community. We kept watching the cars, seeing if we could jump one and get through, but every car that doesn't have a pass code gets stopped. And there just happened to be a delivery truck..."

"With a TV in the back?" Rise smiled. "Nice move. I bet it was your idea, Senpai."

"Why didn't we think of that?" Chie asked, her voice trailing into a wail. "Us and our boat - and the money - and the swimsuits-"

"Swimsuits?" Yosuke repeated.

"Damn, I'm never going to get the hang of this. If I haven't lost my job at the station already." Chie jumped to her feet and began pacing. "I need to call my parents too."

"Don't go spilling anything," Yosuke warned. "Things are bad enough without this leaking to the public."

"It already has, in some ways," Rise said. "The Kirijo mansion collapsing is all over the Net."

"What am I going to tell them?" Chie retorted. "_Hi, Mom and Dad, I'm over at Naoto's because we're planning how to take on a supernatural robotics corporation_?"

"Supernatural?" Souji repeated. "What're you talking about?"

"Huh?" She came up short, blinking as she mentally reviewed what she'd said. "Oh, I just - I mean, they move so quickly and they disappeared without a trace. Kind of like ghosts."

"Ghosts," Rise said, narrowing her eyes. "That's what Fuuka-san called those creeps who can't bleed."

Yosuke frowned. "Why?" He looked around at the others. "I mean, why _ghost_? That's not a word that jumps instantly into my mind when I think of them."

"Maybe 'cause they're - uh - you know, ghosts traditionally don't have blood? Or is that vampires?" Chie tapped her chin with thought.

"No, vampires traditionally sparkle." Yosuke rolled his eyes.

Souji shook his head. "Weird stuff's been going on, but I'm not sure I'd call it supernatural."

"Says the man who walks into flat screens. But I see what you mean," Yosuke added. "Aside from the Kirijo Group vanishing, there's nothing that really counts as-" He trailed off, his eyes rounding. Then he looked sharply at Souji. "Electrical outlets."

"Huh?" said Rise.

Souji stared at his friend, knowing Yosuke was thinking just as swiftly as himself and coming up with - nothing. "Yeah," said Souji. "The outlets. That's...paranormal. But what does it have to do with anything?"

"What are you two going on about?" Chie demanded.

"Well, yeah," Yosuke said. "The outlets were only at our place, and that's not really connected to- "

"The Kirijo mansion," Souji said.

"What?" Yosuke raised one eyebrow. "You think The Dorm is connected to the Kirijo place?"

"No," Souji admitted "But I saw one there, an outlet bleeding. Just like at The Dorm."

_"Huh?"_ Rise's eyes were bugging, either with confusion or alarm.

Yosuke took a step back from Souji, as if trying to see him from a better perspective. "Maybe there _is_ some link."

"Explain or I am going to deck you both!" And Chie interposed herself between them, forcing them to look at her.

"Last week our electrical outlets started bleeding," Souji began -

- as there was a polite cough from the far end of the room. They turned to see a maid, dressed in a crisp black and white uniform. "Dinner is served."

* * *

_3.22.16_

Naoto waited in the silence after she'd finished speaking. At one point, she'd gone to a window and stared out, just so she wouldn't have to see her grandfather's face. She'd spared no one in her recounting of events, least of all herself.

"You've handled yourself badly," Shirogane said eventually. "And rather well, all things considered. I cannot praise your botched attempt to take Kirijo down, nor your failure to inform me of your movements. But you successfully rescued two hostages with no loss of life to yourself or friends."

"I killed people."

A pause. "Naoto."

"This episode," Naoto said after a moment, voice too thin, "has only reminded me that I prefer working alone." She closed her eyes. "My friends were unprepared for this, and they nearly paid with their lives. I never should have asked them to come." She gave an internal sigh of relief, because closing herself off meant she was the only one who could get hurt. But the moment she thought that, she lost her resolve._ Isn't that what I was desperate for? Friends? _She could try to deflect them, insist they go home. She knew they wouldn't, even if they secretly wanted to. "I never should have gone looking for them."

"You've made many mistakes," Shirogane acknowledged. "Regret won't undo them. Now then, you look half-dead. Let's not keep your friends waiting over their dinners." As he stepped around the desk, he laid his hand on her shoulder a moment. Naoto hated to be comforted because of her failures. She hated that she had a need to be comforted. But she didn't shrug the hand off.

She knew what was happening, that she was coaxing herself back into the mindset she'd adopted years ago - that she was aloof, self-sufficient and impassively adult. She hadn't been happy then. She wasn't happy now. She took a deep breath and followed her grandfather out of the room.

They ate in the nicer dining room, which meant there was a long table and high-backed chairs, one of which Shirogane assumed, an evening-darkened window behind him. Naoto barely noticed the food, but she did glance around to gauge her friends' faces. The second car must have come. Yosuke stood at Souji's side, alert and a bit nervous, tapping the toe of his sneaker against the carpeted floor. Chie was across from him, hands clasped, cheeks pink with nerves. Rise was more at ease, smiling at Shirogane as he and Naoto entered. Souji was politely unreadable. They waited until Shirogane had seated himself before sitting, Naoto at his right.

Perhaps sensing how ravenous they were, Shirogane allowed them to eat in silence several minutes before speaking. "Some of your faces I recognize," he said, glancing at Rise and Chie. "I'm happy I finally have a chance to meet your other friends, Naoto-kun."

"Oh, well, there are more of us coming," Chie bubbled nervously - then trailed off as everyone looked at her.

"I look forward to it." Shirogane sipped his wine. "This house is too big and too empty." If the others were wondering why he didn't allude to the Kirijo Group - or their reason for being there - he didn't gratify them. Naoto suspected he wanted time to consider her information before discussing it. He'd have no end of questions for her tomorrow morning.

He continued in a pleasant, unremarkable vein, asking questions about their families and occupations, which allowed her friends to outwardly relax, even if it didn't resolve anything. Rise and Yosuke talked the most; Naoto hardly spoke once. The sounds of her friends' voices soothed her, and she wondered if she should mistrust it - but no, she'd moved beyond that, hadn't she? She'd realized she couldn't sustain herself entirely. Her Shadow had forced that knowledge upon her.

They lingered over dessert, but when the clock struck nine, Shirogane claimed it was his intention to retire for the night, giving Naoto a smile that implied she should do the same. Naoto knew she didn't look her best, but she felt rankled at being scolded, even implicitly. Her voice was polite though. "I think it would be best if we all got some rest. Though I must wait until Kanji and Yukiko arrive." Her voice jumped slightly with apprehension; they'd taken the latest train, but they should be here soon.

"Shirogane-san's so smooth," Rise said once they were back in their sitting room. She turned to Naoto. "Do you have any clue what he thinks about all of us? We spent two hours talking, and I can't say I know him any better."

"He's withholding judgment for the time being," Naoto said. "That is, I don't think he dislikes any of you, but he has some idea of what's at stake, so he's evaluating all of us. Even me."

"Enough about dinner," Yosuke said, pacing the length of the room. "Back to what we were talking about before. The electrical outlets."

"Electrical outlets?" Naoto repeated blankly.

"Dammit." Yosuke groaned. "We need to have one mass consciousness, then I wouldn't have to trot out these explanations all the time."

"You haven't trotted out this explanation even once," Chie reminded him. "I still have no idea what you mean by bleeding outlets."

"Bleeding outlets?" Naoto repeated, eyes widening.

"Okay," Souji said. "Just give me a second and I'll explain everything."

"Okay," Chie said. "Here's your second."

"Naoto-sama?" They all turned. It was Yakushiji. "The third car has just arrived. Also, here is Dr. Ishikawa's report."

"Thank you, Yakushiji-san. Please conduct them here." As the secretary left, Naoto ran her eyes over the report. "Dehydration...malnutrition and severe stress... Other than that, Fuuka-san appears to be healthy. She just needs rest and care."

"Now about those outlets?" Chie said.

Yosuke winced. "Can we please wait until Kanji and Yukiko are here so I don't have to repeat it again?"

Chie bounced on her feet, made a half-kick in Yosuke's direction, and muttered something about "needing an outlet" herself.

"So," Yosuke said, eager to distract Chie from that line of thought, "Shirogane-san. Is he, uh, going to help us, Naoto-kun?"

"I don't know." She set the report on the table. "It's difficult to admit outside help to a case like this. He believes us at least, and he may lend us some resources." She wondered if he might try to stop them.

"At least he believes us," Rise said. "We all know how hard it is getting cops to believe in Personas or anything like them."

"Hey," came Kanji's voice as he and Yukiko strolled into the room, looking tired but unharmed.

"Finally!" Chie smiled. "You okay there? Didn't run into any trouble?"

"Nah," said Kanji. "Was more boring than anything."

"Have you eaten?" Naoto asked. As Yukiko explained they'd eaten before their train left, Naoto noticed Kanji cast a careful look at herself. She lifted her eyebrow but otherwise ignored it. "Good. Now that we're all together, Souji and Yosuke can begin their explanation."

"Explanation?" said Kanji.

Yosuke sighed heavily. "Yes. Outlets. Electrical outlets. That bleed."

Kanji stared at him. "The hell?"

"I'll do the talking," said Souji.


	21. Chapter 21

21.

_3.22.16_

More than an hour had passed before they'd come to the point where they could sit down and think this through again. Yosuke was stretched on the low couch, one ankle hooked over an armrest. Rise perched on the edge of the coffee table. Souji and Yukiko had appropriated two of the four armchairs. Chie sat cross-legged on the floor while Kanji leaned cross-armed against the hearth. Naoto paced.

"You say that the outlet in Teddie's room bled before or around the time of his disappearance?" Naoto reviewed. Yosuke nodded. "What about the other outlets? Did all of them bleed?"

Yosuke tipped his head back as he thought. "Definitely mine, the one in Souji's room...and the living room one. We didn't notice anything from the others, though I guess they might have."

"Well, we only saw one bleeding in the Kirijo place," Souji said. "We'd've noticed sooner if all of them were bloody."

They had already run Internet searches using various phrases. None had been helpful, which argued wounded wall appliances were not as yet an international phenomenon. And the longer they'd combined their sevenfold brainpower, the more bizarre the theories became. When Chie had mentioned aliens for the third time, Naoto told everyone to be quiet and try to regain their rationality.

"The walls are too thin for anyone to hide a bleeding corpse," Yosuke said before anyone could suggest it. "Besides, given the placement of the outlets, there'd have to be three different bodies. You think we'd notice the smell."

"With you guys?" Chie said. "What's one more smell?"

There was a _snrk_ from Yukiko. Chie sighed and looked at the ceiling. They waited Yukiko's giggle-spurt out. She was tired, so it lasted longer than usual.

"Maybe we all should just turn in," Rise said. She rubbed at one eye. "It feels kind of stupid going to bed this early, but..."

"I think we should all be grateful we have safe places to sleep." Chie ended on a yawn. "Thanks again, Naoto-kun."

Naoto blinked, startled out of thought. "Of course. It's - the least I can do." She smiled tentatively, though there was something grim in it. "For my friends."

They shook themselves or stretched, then stood, shuffling off in various directions to their rooms. Most of them.

"Naoto-kun?"

Naoto looked over. "Yes?"

"I feel like I don't pull my weight enough, not being a fighter," Rise said. Her heavy theatrical makeup, put on four days ago, was streaked with dirt and sweat, her hair limp. Her fans wouldn't have known her. "If you need scans, just let me know. Day or night-" she punched her fist up "-Risette will be there!"

Naoto's smile came more easily. "Thank you. But please, get some rest." Rise waved and jogged down the hall after Chie and Yukiko. Naoto turned to go, then realized she still wasn't alone. She looked over her shoulder. "Kanji-kun?"

Kanji hadn't moved from the hearth, but at the sound of Naoto saying his name, his head jerked up. "What about the Kirijo Group?" he said. He glanced around and saw that no one else was there.

"What about it?" Naoto asked, turning to face him.

"Well, uh, if the whackassed sockets've only appeared at senpai's place and the Kirijo place, and we know senpai isn't causing it, doesn't it follow that the Kirijo people might be?" He looked at her apprehensively.

Naoto folded one arm on her stomach, cradling the other elbow. "It's possible, though there's no hard evidence to suggest it." She sighed. "So much of this is conjecture. I ask myself, what do The Dorm and the Kirijo residence have in common? Persona-users both lived there. But no other Persona-users have reported-" she felt idiotic even saying the words in tandem "-bleeding outlets in their houses."

"Well..." Kanji said slowly, "Souji-senpai and Yosuke-senpai are different from other Persona-users. Neither has a Persona. Right now."

Naoto looked up at him. "Yes, that's true. But...Souji-senpai said this began last week, days before any of us received our flowers." _White asphodels_, she reminded herself. And Junpei Iori had claimed Kirijo possessed a Persona, though she had denied it. What did that mean? "Teddie's presence in the house may have some effect. He's a Shadow, after all. Though that still doesn't account for the bleeding to start so suddenly. And...this is all assuming the outlets are connected to our Personas. Which we have no reason to believe," she ended glumly. Linking the outlets to their Personas would at least have given them a clue. There was no point snatching at theories without evidence.

After mulling it over a few moments more, she shook her head. "We need to rest. Good night, Kanji."

"Right." He glanced up the hall. "This way?"

"Yes." She turned and paused, not looking back. "This is me paying you back, I suppose."

"What d'you mean?"

"You let me sleep at your place." She hesitated. "I hope your cat's all right." Then she walked quickly away, down another corridor. Kanji watched her go and took a deep breath. If there was some clever remark he could've made to keep her there a bit longer, he didn't know it.

"Dude," Yosuke whispered from the other side of the room, leaning against the wall. "She _slept at your place?_"

"You must get tired, senpai," Kanji said without looking over. "From all the running you do." And by the time he'd turned, Yosuke was already tearing back up the hallway.

* * *

_3.23.16_

Why youngsters insisted on staying up half the night, Masaru Shirogane no longer understood. And he did not regret the loss of that knowledge. They never knew the sunrises they missed.

"Yakushiji," he said as he came downstairs for his early breakfast, "when they are awake, please tell the three young men to come see me. I would have some words with them." Yakushiji bowed. "But let them all sleep for the time being. They have a lot to recuperate."

It was almost noon by the time the three of them graced his study, entering as a unit, packed together. It would have been amusing if not for the crisis hanging over their heads. He pushed that thought away - that wasn't what he intended to talk about. "Please, sit." He gestured to the several chairs. He remained behind his desk. He'd heard all of their names often enough from Naoto, and she'd described them sufficiently that he could have identified each without an introduction. Hanamura was tall, a bit weedy, a bit unprepossessing, but he had that nervous energy that yielded excellent results when trained. Tatsumi, scarred and pierced, looked beyond disreputable, elbows on knees as he scanned warily around the room. Seta was the most composed, making eye contact when Shirogane turned his way. There was a dignity about him that Shirogane couldn't place - perhaps it was simply maturity. Seeing them in a line, Shirogane reflected (gloomily) that he couldn't recollect Naoto ever mentioning one boy over the others. It would have been comforting to know his own granddaughter's thoughts. Still, he could glean some information here.

"I've met Naoto-kun's female friends on several occasions," Shirogane said by way of opening, "so I'm glad I finally have a chance to meet you as well." He didn't miss the wide-eyed look Hanamura shot in Seta's direction, though Seta appeared to. "Yosuke, Souji, I understand you two are attending university together." They nodded while Tatsumi shifted in his chair. "What are your goals?"

"Ah - well." Hanamura cleared his throat. "...I-I'm taking a history course...Math. That is..."

Seta stepped smoothly in as Hanamura trailed off. "I'm thinking of entering the diplomatic service, seeing more of the world. Yosuke is considering a journalistic career."

"Yeah," Hanamura said more readily. "On TV, if I can swing it. Someone's got to clear up all the junk they put out."

Shirogane nodded, pleased enough. Handsome young men, ambitious, dreadfully in need of haircuts. But what did Naoto think? He turned his attention to the one in the middle. "And you of course will inherit Tatsumi Textiles. You do excellent work." He gestured to the tie he was wearing, a birthday gift from Naoto several years back.

Tatsumi cleared his throat, looking at his hands. "Th-thanks." Hard to believe such an exterior was capable of such exquisite workmanship, but he had seen stranger things.

So far, no clear evidence of interest on their side. Shirogane leaned back in his chair and lobbed the first bombshell. "Naoto-kun speaks fondly of you three. I'm sure you know her well enough to realize how exceptional that is."

A pinched, worried look tightened Hanamura's eyes and forehead. Tatsumi glanced up at him, then down. Seta's demeanor didn't change. Shirogane mentally shelved those reactions to be analyzed later. He decided he'd give them some room to maneuver. "How do you find the estate? I hope that you're comfortable."

"It's great," Seta said while Hanamura vigorously nodded and Tatsumi nodded once.

"Thank you. I understand that you are not here at your leisure," Shirogane went on, "but if you have time, please avail yourself of any of my household's amenities."

Marked interest from Hanamura at that - his eyes nearly lit up. Then, seeing Shirogane's notice, he hunched down, very much in the manner of someone who didn't want to be questioned. _Hot tub,_ Shirogane guessed, deducting a point from Hanamura.

"I want to thank you on Naoto's behalf for your support," Shirogane said, his tone shifting to a more sincere note. "Making friends does not come easily to her, and at times like these... She will not say it, but she cannot do this alone..." He let the statement hang. Hanamura was watching him, bracing. Tatsumi had straightened out of his slouch. Seta had simply nodded. They'd been on the rack long enough, Shirogane decided. Best leave them some composure. "Well, then," he said, rising. "I suggest we proceed to lunch. Come."

Hanamura popped to his feet. Tatsumi and Seta stood rather more calmly. Hanamura, as far as Shirogane could tell, was terrified of being accused of something, and he deducted three more points. Tatsumi and Seta either weren't interested, weren't aware of what was going on, or simply handled themselves better under pressure. As they left the office, Shirogane docked several points from Tatsumi, one for each piercing. Seta certainly seemed acceptable, but...bland. He whacked off five points.

But, he acknowledged to himself as they entered the dining room, it made no difference what he thought. As for Naoto, he honestly didn't know if she gave such matters any consideration. During her brief time at Yasogami, she'd received dozens of love notes, all from girls, all of which she'd destroyed in one way or another, unread. And, given her stance against dresses, swimsuits, yukata and appearing in any obvious way that might attract male notice, she didn't seem to want a boyfriend. He had no qualms with Naoto's masculine demeanor; he'd known from the start that it would protect her as well as encourage people to take her more seriously. Besides, it suited her. And there was no reason Naoto had to involve herself in romantic entanglements. But, he thought wistfully, it would be a sad thing if the Shirogane line died out on such a brilliant individual. It would be sadder still if she passed over something she truly wanted. But then, she was only twenty. Still quite young.

Shirogane inwardly shook his head at himself. He could discuss it with her, but she wouldn't appreciate it. Better to leave that for another time. He swallowed, facing the knowledge that with Naoto rushing into danger, there might not be another time. It was knowledge he'd had to face several times over the years, and it never got easier.

The girls were already in the dining room when they entered. Shirogane studied Naoto as she glanced at each of the young men. He didn't see any marked change in her expression. Discouraging, that.

* * *

_3.23.16_

Naoto had fallen asleep at work, but at least she had made it into bed. She'd parted with Kanji mind too full of new questions to rest. So while she'd taken the time to change into her pajamas and sit cross-legged on her bed, she'd also opened her laptop and begun researching, starting with _white asphodel_.

She woke curled on her side, lying on the top cover, her head halfway to the nearest pillow, the mechanical chrome mobile she'd made for herself (not because she needed a mobile, but because she wanted to make it spin; and flash) hovering over her. Several pulp fiction novels (American, British and Japanese - also some old Tom Swifts) were scattered on her bedside table, under the goose neck lamp. Her tool box had been unceremoniously tucked under the table, out of the way of her feet; a stack of criminology texts had slumped into the old tank that had once housed a pet tarantula; and all of the model robots on her shelf needed dusting. Her laptop was open, the screen darkened by inactivity. Knees drawn up close, she muzzily reached over and tapped. Two screens, opened side by side, met her eyes, and she automatically began to reread, still rousing herself.

_White asphodel... Honored by the ancient Greeks to symbolize mourning and the safe passage of souls into Elysium..._

_...A region of the underworld offered to those who had distinguished themselves honorably in life, said by some sources to be ruled by Kronos. Its gates were surrounded by fields of poplars and white asphodels, the latter being given to the dying to hasten their journey to the Elysian fields._

_Elysian fields...Elysium...Elysion._ Naoto sighed and pulled herself upright. It had been hard enough to accept evidence from an urban legend such as the Midnight Channel, but turning to ancient Greek mythology for clues? She closed those windows, as well as the ones which dealt with Kronos, the father of the Greek pantheon; the ancient Greek concept of honor; and poplars. They'd given her ideas, but no solid theories.

_What do our Personas have to do with death and the afterlife?_ And then, a word came unbeckoned to her mind: _ghosts_. She considered that a moment. But none of the legends she'd skimmed had spoken of spirits leaving the Elysian fields. Only the unhappy souls, those bound in Tartarus, tried to escape.

_Tartarus..._ She blinked, remembering her online research about Personas, the comments made by Jin. Had he said something about an underworld? Yes, she'd seen one such post, but she'd assumed he was being dramatic and metaphorical. Perhaps it meant something else?

Naoto yawned, stretched, glanced at her wall clock (which she'd made when she was ten; each number flashed on its hour). _11:21?_ It argued that Grampa thought there was no immediate danger, letting her sleep in like this, but still-! She jumped out of bed, running to her large closet.

She found the girls lounging in the sitting room. "What should we do?" Chie asked. "Go down and ask for a late breakfast or wait for lunch?"

"Lunch will be served soon." Naoto glanced around. "Where are the boys?"

"Haven't seen them." Rise yawned. "Maybe I should take a run around the estate. You think that'd wake me up?"

They went downstairs, but the boys weren't long to follow, attended by Grampa himself. Naoto noticed him study her - probably trying to see if she looked better for a night's sleep. Well, she would have, if she hadn't waited until four in the morning to actually fall asleep, and then only by accident. She gave him a slight smile in return. If he tried to stop her from pursuing Kirijo, she had no idea what she'd say or do.

The boys looked...tense, especially Yosuke, who seemed determined not to look anywhere remotely in her direction. What had been going on? She studied Yosuke for a moment, searching for clues, then noticed Grampa was watching her. She raised her eyebrow, but there was no graceful way to ask him just what was going on. At least not there.

Grampa took her aside after lunch, which had been more lively than last night's dinner, though still not up to the team's standard. "Come to my study before dinner," he told her, "and we'll discuss the case. Until then, relax as much as you can."

She raised both eyebrows. "What were you discussing with the boys?"

"Commonplaces," he replied. Naoto kept her eyebrows raised. Grampa smiled fondly down at her.

* * *

_3.23.16_

After an afternoon of "relaxing" with her friends - discussing bizarre posies, robotics corporations, Personas, and researching Greek mythology - Naoto was more than ready to talk things over with her grandfather. He'd held himself aloof from her investigation thus far, and she hoped he'd have a better perspective. And maybe it was childish, but she sometimes believed she thought better in his study. She sat in the overstuffed, threadbare armchair closest to the desk; her legs couldn't comfortably touch the ground, so she tucked them under her. Shirogane finished writing a letter and set it aside, sliding his chair around to face her. "What do you plan on doing next?" he asked.

Naoto would have liked him to start off by offering suggestions, but he hadn't babied her since she was seven. "I would say the first step is finding Kirijo. But as she appears to have vanished into thin air, I suspect that any attempts to track her would end in failure. I've already devoted considerable time to researching the Kirijo Group's records for the past twenty years, and, as I told you, there is a blank spot in the mid-nineties I find suspicious. Add to that the placement of at least four Persona-users in the same Port Island dorm, gathered under the group's eye. To say nothing of automata capable of evoking. It seems that the Kirijo Group has devoted much of its recent activity to the study of Personas."

Shirogane steepled his fingers and interrupted her train of thought. "I recall you saying that Personas are inherently identical to Shadows, only disciplined by individuals with sufficient ego."

"Yes."

"Have you seen any Shadows?"

Naoto hesitated. "No. Not that I know of. The ghosts...Rise-chan would have been able to identify them as Shadows, but she's certain they're something else."

"You've also said the Personas require an altered state of mind - such as the TV World - to access."

"So I believe, yes."

"I think we must conclude that you are currently in an altered state of mind." Shirogane talked over her protest. "You were unable to evoke until you received those flowers, which Kirijo confirmed were sent by herself. Now, right now, you could summon your Persona at will. Ergo, the Kirijo Group has some capability of altering-" words failed even him there, and he gestured around the room "-our world. These asphodels engendered your abilities, therefore the flowers' mere presence is sufficient to alter reality. It is perhaps not the only explanation, but it is logical."

Naoto slowly made and released her fists, using the motion to steady herself. "After all that's happened, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. But I didn't want to think I had an enemy with that kind of power." Her voice was shaking. "What can we do?"

"You can't know," Shirogane answered, "until you study your enemy further. What could be the source of the group's power?" He watched her. "You know more about this than I, Naoto-kun. Remember everything you saw."

"Well..." Naoto winced. "There are the bleeding electrical outlets." She didn't even wait for him to look blankly at her, she just explained as succinctly as she could.

Shirogane rubbed his chin. "We only know of those outlets existing in the Kirijo residence and this dorm. Which is...the last place your friend Teddie was definitely seen?"

"Yes, it-" She looked up quickly. "Are you implying there's some connection between Teddie's disappearance and the Kirijo Group's vanishing?"

"Both from houses with this odd phenomenon. But this is assuming Teddie was last in the house before he vanished."

"I-" Naoto clenched her hands again. "I want so badly to believe we have a theory, but - damn, are we just obscuring the truth with all these guesses?"

"It seems likely you can't find the Kirijo Group," Shirogane said steadily. "I recommend you use this respite to search for Teddie. You may find more connections."

"And there's no reason for Kirijo to guess we'd go to a college campus," Naoto replied. "I-" She caught her breath. "I hope you're right." She hesitated, then let herself lean forward and hug her grandfather. She'd hugged him often when very young, but after she'd become a professional detective, she'd felt she had to hold off from all such childish displays of affection. Only in the past few years had she started hugging him again.

Shirogane kissed her cheek and released her; though he smiled, he seemed sad. "My girl, I worry I've prodded you into further danger." He looked her up and down. "In your absence, I'll pull some strings and see what else I can learn of the Kirijo Group."

It was the closest he'd come to saying goodbye, that he might not see her again. "Thank you." Naoto blinked back tears - those were still unwelcome.

He used one finger to trace the fine curve of her jaw, so like his dead son's. "I admire your friends," he said, changing tact. "I know you prefer working alone, but I'll feel better knowing they're with you."


	22. Chapter 22

22.

_3.24.16_

Because only two of them were familiar with the campus area, they elected to move as a unit this time, taking the same train. As Naoto went online and ordered their tickets, Souji made his way to the Shiroganes' clinic to check on Fuuka, accompanied by Yosuke and Kanji. "How are you doing?" he asked, seeing that she was sitting up on her pillows, a tray with a light breakfast across her stomach.

She smiled, but her forehead was pinched, and Souji couldn't see that she'd eaten anything. According to Naoto, she was only twenty three, but fatigue and strain made her seem both childlike and older; there were faint lines around her large green eyes. "I'm better than I've been in weeks. Thank you."

"We're going to keep you here so you can rest," Souji said, though he didn't know how comforting he sounded to someone who barely knew him. "You should be safe."

"Before we go," Yosuke said, "what can you tell us about the Kirijo Group? And Mitsuru Kirijo? We hear you used to be friends."

A sheen quivered in Fuuka's eyes; she blinked, and it wasn't quite gone. "Yes. I - I wasn't the closest to her, but we were friends. Even now I..." She looked down at her small hands. "...I feel guilty for telling you things that might hurt her."

"But you will?" Yosuke said after a moment. Despite his words, there was sympathy in his face.

"What do you want to know?" Fuuka asked, something in her expression becoming distant.

"Does she have a Persona?" Souji asked.

"Yes. An ice elemental, originally named Penthesilea. Its exalted form is Artemisia. She can also command healing and mind-control, as well as scan limited areas."

That sounded too ready, too specific to be a fabrication. If Kirijo had a Persona, why hadn't she evoked when Naoto attacked her? Souji mentally reviewed all that Naoto had told him of her encounter in Kirijo's office. "Akihiko Sanada, what's the gun he uses?"

Fuuka frowned. "He's a policeman," she said slowly. "So he would have a commissioned weapon. But does he...not fire this gun?"

"You know what we're talking about," Yosuke said, a smile pulling one edge of his mouth. "Go ahead and say it."

"Well, I-" She looked at each of them intently. "Don't you all have Evokers?" When no one responded, she went on, "How do you summon your Personas?"

The three boys exchanged looks. Rokuten Maoh's card flickered into Kanji's hand. "By breakin' these. How else?"

The blue flames reflected in Fuuka's unblinking eyes until Kanji let the card vanish. "How did you first access your Personas?"

Yosuke cleared his throat and Kanji looked ill.

"For most of us," Souji said, "we had to acknowledge our weaker natures. They took the form of Shadows, and once we stopped denying their existence, they changed into Personas."

Fuuka looked both intrigued and troubled. "The only Personas I know of were gained during life-threatening situations - manifested through sheer fight or flight instinct. Except for Aigis-chan," she added, "who was created with her Persona already in place. Still, it sounds as though the principle is the same, breaking a mental barrier..."

"Wait," Kanji said, "none of you Port Island people had to go through anything, uh-"

"-soul-shrivelingly embarrassing?" Yosuke supplied. "No-" He gestured uselessly. "No yellow-eyed evil versions of yourselves?"

"Well, I don't think they had the TV World," Souji said while Fuuka listened intently.

"Yeah," said Kanji. "Would our Shadows've shown up without it?"

"When did you get your Personas?" Fuuka asked. When they answered it had only been five years ago, she looked still more puzzled. "You aren't linked to the Dark Hour at all. We destroyed it in 2010."

"Dark Hour?" Souji repeated.

"Hold it!" Yosuke broke in. He held out both hands, waiting until everyone was quiet and all eyes were on him. "Let's get everyone in here. I sure as hell am not going to repeat whatever explanation she's about to give."

* * *

_3.24.16_

"So okay..." Yosuke said, in a vain attempt to sum up everything they'd heard. "We're saying the Kirijo Group indirectly created your Personas by making Shadows in the first place. Whereas our Personas were always inside of us, we just needed an alternate reality created by the united subconscious of Inaba to confront them."

"That aside," Naoto asked, looking at Fuuka, "what made you realize you could still evoke? It sounds as though your Personas should have disappeared with that...Abyss."

"I didn't know until the ghosts kidnapped me and told me to summon. I still had my Evoker, so I-" She shifted uncomfortably. "If you fire an Evoker outside of the Dark Hour, nothing should happen, not even a gunshot. But Juno appeared."

"So you were never sent any flowers?" Yukiko asked. Fuuka shook her head. "But we're - all of us have to be in a different dimension to evoke. Just what has the Kirijo Group done to-"

"-all of Japan?" Yosuke shook his head and winced. "This feels like the fog all over again."

"But even when it was foggy, we still couldn't evoke outside of the TV. It's not...it's not really those flowers, is it?" Rise sighed with impatience.

"The Dark Hour," Fuuka said tentatively, her voice growing weaker from so much use, "was an altered state of mind, but it was still part of our own world. So our Personas were never bound to another dimension. That could account for none of us needing asphodels."

"All these theories!" With a quick gesture, Rise turned to Souji. "We've got to go to your place and search for Teddie. That's all I can come up with. Besides," she added with a tilt to her pretty head, "I've always wanted to know what it looks like."

"Just a moment more," Naoto said, attention still on Fuuka. "What, in your opinion, could be driving Mitsuru Kirijo to such extremes? That she'd attack her friends and fiancé?"

Fuuka looked down at her untouched plate. "Everything leading up to fighting Nyx was bad, but the worst of it came afterward, when he died."

Naoto waited for more, then fell to prompting. "I can understand the grief of losing your leader. But Kirijo had already lost her father, and she hadn't shown such reckless cruelty as she displays now."

Fuuka flinched. "There's too much to say, but we once found a way to go back. In time." She glanced up quickly, as if expecting they wouldn't believe her. Yosuke and Rise looked skeptical, but neither interrupted. "And Yukari-chan was very close to him, so she wanted to try to undo everything - save him, you know. And even though it meant she'd fight the rest of us, Mitsuru sided with Yukari because Yukari had supported her before."

"Yukari Takeba." Rise turned to Naoto. "Junpei-san said that she was with Kirijo. Do you suppose she vanished with her?"

"What do you think?" Naoto asked Fuuka. "Would Takeba stand alongside Kirijo in this?"

Fuuka looked as though she didn't even want to consider it. "It depends on what Mitsuru's really trying to do, and how much Yukari's changed. In the past, she could be very ruthless. Both of them." She looked quickly up again. "But they were also kind. They wouldn't have - hurt - their friends." She was crying now.

"What did they want to undo?" Naoto asked. "Arisato's death?"

Fuuka brought herself up short. "He - death isn't the right-" And then she shook her head.

"What do you mean?" Yosuke interrupted. "What happened? He died, right?" But she covered her face and couldn't answer any more of their questions.

* * *

_3.24.16_

It was a small train. To be comfortable, seven people required three and a half train seats. The train was crowded with very few adjacent empty seats. In fact, they only spotted one pair of empty seats facing each other. But they wanted to stay together.

"If Teddie was here," Chie said, shoulder jammed up against Souji's side, "he'd tell one of us girls to sit on his lap."

"Or he'd sit on your lap," Yosuke said, seeing Rise's glare and shifting around so his elbow didn't rest on her thigh.

"It's a short trip. We'll survive," Naoto said grimly. "Kanji-kun, do something about your legs."

"Sorry." Kanji hoisted his legs up so that his knees were pressed against the window.

"Could you move over just a bit?" Yukiko asked. "I'm only half-sitting on the seat here." Chie and Souji shifted to the right, which caused Naoto to cry out in alarm. She'd nearly disappeared into the gap between the seat and the train wall, her hat tipping over her eyes.

"Okay, let's try this again," Yosuke said. "We need to balance out the normal people and the midgets."

"I would appreciate if you wouldn't refer to me as a midget," came Naoto's muffled voice. Yukiko had settled herself comfortably on the seat, which had squashed Chie, which had caused Souji to flop across Naoto's lap.

"You aren't so massive yourself," Chie said into the seat cushion, though she addressed Yosuke. "Just stupidly tall."

"This is kind of packed," Rise said, "but I feel really well protected." She glanced at Yosuke to her right and Kanji to her left. "Nothing's getting at me in here."

"Look, if any of you girls want to sit on a lap, I'm free," Yosuke said, though he didn't seem to think it would yield much. Chie made a half-hearted kick (more of a foot-twitch) in his direction.

"Sorry, Naoto-kun," Souji said, finally straightening.

The Detective Prince was nicely wedged between seat and wall. She put out one arm. "I regret that I require assistance. Kanji, if you would." With a blush, Kanji took her hand and pulled back, dropping it quickly. Naoto popped free and settled herself with her remaining dignity back onto the seat. Which required Souji and Chie to shift over, which sent Yukiko tumbling bottom-first into the aisle.

"_Hi,"_ said an older man on the other side of the train, grinning down at the lovely black-haired girl.

"Okay," said Souji. And though it was against the rules, he slid down and crammed himself into the small area between the two sets of seats, sitting on everyone's feet. "Yukiko, you can have my place."

"Thanks," she said, delicately rubbing her tailbone before she sat.

"Man, you at all comfortable there?" Yosuke asked.

Rise lightly kicked Souji's knee. "I can finally look down on you, Senpai."

Souji shrugged. "It's a leader's job. Least I can do after you all took those hits for me against Izanami."

The playful atmosphere fled, the mention of Izanami reminding them of their current predicament. Yosuke angled up his watch. "Almost there."

* * *

_3.24.16_

It was a short walk, the train station almost adjacent to the college campus, The Dorm only four blocks beyond. (They had to bring the Junes Bike home, however, which led to a vigorous debate as to whether or not Yosuke should ride ahead, whether or not the motorcycle was less of a safety hazard since it was orange, and, on Kanji's part, whether or not it had an adequate muffler; they ultimately decided it was important to stick together, which left Yosuke wheeling it along, much to his displeasure.) The mid-morning was bright, unseasonably warm for March, and the classes were at their heaviest, students hurrying back and forth on all sides. None of them looked out of place, even as they made their way up the street. It was hard not to flat-out run, but they knew by now that they had to appear as inconspicuous as possible.

"This is your place?" Rise asked when they'd left the campus behind, come to the small two-story house. Energetic Russian rap blared from the top floor. "It's uh..." She looked it up and down.

"Awe-inspiring," Yosuke supplied, leading them up the front walk. "Now all we-" He stopped in his tracks. Souji stopped. They all stopped.

Sitting on the front doorstep were two white boxes.

Without waiting for any kind of input, Souji and Yosuke dove for the boxes. Nobody told them to wait, to consider, to weigh the risks as they tore them open, revealing two white asphodels. Souji plucked his from the box. Yosuke lifted his in one hand, then smashed both hands together.

Their legs wobbled a bit as the flowers sank into their skin and took effect. Then Yosuke drew a deep breath, lifted one palm, and a blue card snapped into being. Yosuke's expression was caught between gratification and disgust. "What do you want to bet these arrived five minutes after we left this place?"

"Like old times," Souji said, smiling at his own card. Then he closed his hand. "Except not. C'mon." Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew his house key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

It was exactly as they'd left it - half-furnished, some clothes and textbooks lying around, a cold cup of ramen congealing on the small TV. On the wall was an unframed, blown-up photograph of the eight of them, taken in 2014 when they'd all met up backstage at one of Rise's concerts. Though it was hardly germane to the case, Naoto's eye was drawn to it. 2014 had been the last year all of them had regularly seen each other. Everyone was smiling. It had been Naoto's first (and so far only) concert, and she looked tired from all the commotion, but she remembered how happy she'd been with her friends, and she thought she saw some trace of that in her photographed smile. Rise had just come offstage, tired and disheveled from her performance but energized by the appearance of her friends. Teddie, half-drunk on atmosphere, had his right arm thrown around Rise's neck, the left sneaking towards Yukiko's waist. Not noticing, Yukiko was giggling as Chie tried to pass off Teddie's wacky glasses to Yosuke. Souji had tried to keep a solemnly straight face during the picture-taking, but in the end, even his composure had broken, his mouth crooked with a badly-suppressed grin. Kanji stood in the back, one arm around Souji, the other around Yukiko, gaze angled towards Naoto.

Naoto blinked. She'd never noticed that detail before. She wasn't sure why she was noticing it now, especially as everyone else had clustered around the opposite wall.

"This is where I first saw it," Souji was saying. "We cleaned it up. I-" He looked apprehensively at Naoto. "I guess we screwed any chance of getting it tested."

"I'm not sure what use testing it would be," she answered, coming over and kneeling by the outlet. Though she knew Souji had already done it, she tapped the wall. It was too thin even to sound hollow. "Did you remove the cover and look at the wiring?"

"Yeah," Souji said. "By then, the bleeding had stopped. There was no blood inside. The blood starts right at the sockets."

From all Naoto could see, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Still, she ran her eyes over everything, no matter how inconsequential, then stood. "Let's see the others that bled." There was nothing remarkable about the outlet in Souji's room. In Yosuke's room, there was a faint smear of blood beneath.

"We were pretty batshit by then," Yosuke said. "Our clean-up wasn't that thorough."

Finally, they stood in front of the outlet in Teddie's room, which they hadn't even attempted to clean. Naoto knelt. Nothing looked suspicious. Nor did any important similarities with the other three outlets leap out at her. Nor any clue that pointed towards Teddie's disappearance, or even whether it had occurred in this room. "The major difference," she mused, saying it aloud for the others' benefit, "is that Teddie isn't human. He's a Shadow. And he's the one who vanished. Perhaps...it takes a Shadow to explain these." She thought a moment. Then opened her palm, Yamato Takeru's card floating above it.

It was faint at first, but the electrical outlet began to glow.


	23. Chapter 23

23.

_3.24.16_

As it grew, the light brought a gentle heat, then a faint breeze bearing the scent of flowers. The small bedroom seemed suddenly filled with sunlight, the sound and fragrance of wind shifting over tall grass. They were all momentarily caught between the instincts to relax and to back hastily out of Teddie's room. Without thinking it through, Naoto found herself stepping away from the wall, her shoulder hitting against Chie. They both jumped, Chie catching her breath.

Beyond the light, they could make out a slight darkness, a gray, translucent shadow - the shape of a large door where the outlet should be.

"So..." Yosuke swallowed, and his voice was stronger. "Knowing us, we're going to go through that." He'd drawn his knives at the first flash of light, and he tossed one, letting the hilt smack into his palm even as he blinked nervously. "Anyone got a quick reason why we shouldn't? Aside from the fact that we have no idea where it goes."

"Teddie's there," Souji said, squinting as he looked into the light.

"We don't know that," Naoto said, trained to play Devil's Advocate.

Souji's voice wasn't hostile, or even challenging; just matter of fact. "We're still going."

"Oh hell," Chie breathed. "It just doesn't stop, does it? Well, no one's going to say I'm a coward. But...let's be careful."

"Yes." Yukiko's eyes were wide with apprehension.

"Rise-chan, can you scan ahead?" Souji asked. Rise moved to the back of the group and summoned Kanzeon, who took a hazy incorporeal form, her face and tiered satellites vanishing through the ceiling. Above them, the Russian rap abruptly cut off.

Yosuke grimaced. "Countdown, five seconds to a frantic phone call and sirens."

Kanzeon vanished. "I don't really sense anything," Rise said, troubled. "There's a huge area, and I have a faint sense of...movement? It's hard to know how to put it. I didn't find any Shadows, ghosts or humans, though I don't know what's further in."

The seven of them looked at each other, as if gauging each other's willingness to step into _terra incognita _- hardly _terra_ by anyone's standards. "I'm ready," Kanji said, picking up Teddie's folding chair.

Upstairs, they could hear their neighbor speaking rapidly into his phone. "Let's go," said Souji. He'd unpacked his favorite sword from storage, and he angled it in a guard as he stepped into the light. Yosuke didn't hesitate to follow. Chie ran after him, joined by Yukiko as Naoto lifted her pistol to shoulder level. Rise looked at Naoto and Kanji. Her voice shook, but she worked hard to project playful confidence, and she almost succeeded. "Well, we can't let our senpai have all the fun. They'd be lost without us." Unarmed, she led the way in.

* * *

_3.24.16_

Athena dove, smashing into her adversary. Kampe stumbled, some internal working screaming, before she righted herself and unloaded a storm of bullets at Aigis. She swerved and they shot past. Most embedded themselves in the stone walls, but she heard Junpei cry out. As much as she loved Junpei - and Aigis had realized over the years how easily she could assign the word _love_ to everyone who accepted her - Aigis didn't turn around, knowing he was capable of healing himself. Aigis spun, creating more force than a human, aiming a concentrated kick at Kampe's protective visor. It was bullet-proof, but that didn't mean it was invulnerable to all blunt force.

Fast as Aigis, Kampe had dodged, the kick landing at an angle, only scoring a shallow scratch across the surface. She had no time to counter, turning to address the wave of fire Trismegistus thrust at her.

"Doesn't this chick have _any_ weakness?" Junpei shouted as Kampe shrugged off the flames, summoning her own Persona. Junpei brought up his katana to guard, but the Persona's barbed tail whipped across him, sending him staggering back against the alley wall. It was dark, hardly any room to fight. They'd spent half the night and all the morning tracking Kampe, finally cornering her where no one else would see them. They'd meant to get answers, but Kampe had struck first, hadn't stopped.

Head lowered, Aigis barreled into Kampe from the side, sending both of them sprawling. She placed her hand on the other robot's face, trying to force it around, to shoot her in the back of the head. Kampe kicked up, lifting Aigis high into the air, slamming down against the pavement. Aigis struggling to stand, her legs slipping on the asphalt for a moment. Agidyne flashed overhead, and by the time Aigis stood, Kampe was faltering on one knee. A human might have sworn or offered some parting statement, but as before, the robot only turned and ran. Aigis started a few steps after, then slowed to a walk. "No," she said, her thought processes shifting from the automatic commands of a robot to a more human rationale, "if we chase her, we'll draw attention to ourselves. We must avoid notice."

"We'll be lucky if no one's heard us already," Junpei said, pocketing his Evoker. He wasn't the worse for wear for their last confrontation with Kampe, only three days ago, though Aigis had almost depleted her strength, casting Diarama to keep him from bleeding to death. He pulled out his cell phone and checked it for new messages, then closed it with a snap. "Senpai is pretty sure he's found those kids' trail. Let's hurry up and meet him."

* * *

_3.24.16_

The sky was gold, pale at the edges and deepening almost to amber at the zenith; Naoto had seen such skies in paintings, or artistic interpretations of heaven, but never in real life. Wispy clouds banded one edge of the sky, and warm wind played across their faces, bending the long grass and making the tall sprays of flowers nod - white asphodels.

Souji turned in a circle, casting in every direction. "This is Elysion, isn't it?"

"But-" To her shame, Naoto's throat was dry. "It's just a place in mythology. It can't really-"

"Izanami really existed," Yukiko said, quiet.

"If we're here," Yosuke said, almost reluctantly, "in part of the underworld, doesn't that mean we have to be - dead?"

Naoto swallowed. For a second, she wished she was brave enough to reach out and take someone's hand - anyone's hand - just for the comforting feel of her fingers in someone else's - but she mastered herself. "There's no reason to assume that."

"How come?" Yosuke shot back. He didn't lose his composure, but there was an angry edge in his voice. "What do any of us know about all this? Any Greek scholars here?"

Naoto thought back to the information she'd studied, the few myths she'd read to gain an understanding of what Elysion and Tartarus were. "Elysion is part of Tartarus, and mortals did sometimes enter the underworld without dying. There was Aeneas, and also another - Orpheus, I think."

"Izanagi also walked through an underworld without dying," Souji said. "Might've not been this one, but I bet he can handle it."

"Dunno," Yosuke said, "look at what happened last time he tried it; got chased out by the psycho wife he was trying to save."

Souji didn't answer, but Naoto spoke. "His wife... If I remember right, Orpheus also came to the underworld to liberate his dead wife. And failed."

Souji frowned. "What does Orpheus have to do with anything?"

Naoto shook her head. "I was just thinking aloud. I'm sorry, I'll keep my mind on the task at hand."

"Like-" Chie hesitated. "Like figuring out if we're all dead or not?"

Yukiko chafed her upper arms. "I don't feel dead, but how would we know what it's like? Izanami's spell wasn't anything like this, but..." She looked up at the sky. "This looks too much like heaven."

"Screw wondering about it, we're here," Kanji said; Naoto wondered if she saw fear in his eyes, but she heard none in his voice. "We need to start looking for Teddie."

"I'll scan," Rise said crisply, summoning Kanzeon. As the Persona's satellites oscillated, Rise pursed her lips with thought. "It's clearer now. There's...something that way." She lifted her arm to their left. "I think it's a Shadow...a _really_ powerful one."

"Like how powerful?" Kanji asked.

"As powerful as any of our Shadows were. Maybe as bad as Kunino-Sagiri. But it..." Kanzeon disappeared, and Rise finished more quietly, "it doesn't feel exactly right for a Shadow. It's more like a...but there are no other humans around."

"What're you getting at?" Yosuke said.

"I don't know if this place is doing anything to mess up my powers, but I think it's a Persona." She turned her worried face to Souji, as if he'd have the best chance of knowing what was going on. "But you can't have a Persona without a human, and there isn't one."

"Could it be Teddie?" Naoto ventured. "He's a Shadow, so like a Persona."

But Rise shook her head so hard her hair bounced around her face. "I know Teddie. I'd know him anywhere. This isn't him. And I don't recognize the Persona, if that's even what it is."

"C'mon," Souji said. "There's no point ignoring this."

"Hey - everyone - guys-" Chie's voice ended on a quaver.

"Look, Chie," Yosuke said, "this is screwed up, but it's not the most screwed up thing we've faced. Get a grip and-"

"What happened to the door?" Chie asked in a rush.

They all pivoted to look behind them, where they had stepped into this world. There was no door, only endlessly spreading fields.

"Oh hell," said Yosuke. "Oh hell _no_."

"If we can't go back," Yukiko said, "does that mean we really are dead?" Naoto couldn't speak at all, her throat dry and tight. She wasn't sure what she felt - sick, terrified, numb, disbelieving - only that she was grateful her friends were around her. That whatever she was facing, she wasn't alone. That admitted, she could name the feeling that darted through her - shame.

"Guys!" Souji shouted. "Remember Teddie. We find him, then get the hell out of here."

"Dude, you say that, but can we actually do it?" Yosuke demanded.

"At this point-" Souji tossed his hilt from one hand to the other, then brought his sword down in a swipe, cutting the air "-I don't give a damn."

"Good attitude," Kanji said. He lifted the chair onto his shoulder. They all fell into step alongside Souji.

The meadow was nearly flat, with only the gentlest rises and dips. The Persona, if it was a Persona, was large enough that they saw it from quite a distance. Tall, slender, it had the shape of a woman in a dark dress, her shoulders and hips surmounted by spiked armor. They could not see any hair, and her silver face was half obscured by a pointed red helmet. Her arms were bent forward, hands level with her hips. A coiled length of leather hung between both hands, its slack swinging slowly in the breeze. Otherwise, she was motionless.

They stopped barely within forty feet, waiting for the Persona to make some move. Rise stepped closer to Souji, keeping her voice low. "I'm not sure she's hostile. I...don't even know if she's awake."

"Awake?" Souji repeated.

"What do you mean?" Chie asked. "A Persona doesn't sleep. At least, mine doesn't."

"Where do they go when they're not being summoned?" Yukiko asked.

"This Persona is different," Rise said. "That's why I couldn't identify her at first."

"You sure there's anything in there?" Kanji asked. "Just looks like a statue."

"I don't know!" Rise - almost - snapped. "She just seems...quiet. Lifeless."

"Dead?" Naoto asked. She took a step forward, the better to see around Yosuke. "I didn't think they could die." She looked down at her hand but didn't summon her card.

"Aren't they part of our souls?" Yukiko asked.

"I thought they'd die when we died," Chie said. "I mean, they're us."

"Existential questions are great," Yosuke said, "but we should figure this out or just move on."

"Do you think she'd respond to another Persona?" Souji asked suddenly.

Rise shrugged. Yosuke shook his head. Souji crushed his card. Izanagi-no-Okami shimmered above him, quiet, resonant with power, awaiting commands. Making no move towards the strange Persona. With a sigh, Souji cut the contact and Izanagi vanished. "I guess we press on. Rise, do you see any more Personas?"

She summoned Kanzeon, the scarlet visor lowering over her head. They couldn't see much of her face, but they heard her sudden intake of breath. "Guys..."

Chie was bracing. "You didn't find Teddie, did you?"

"Just over that rise." She gestured beyond the silent Persona. "I-I can't even count them."

"Oh hell," said Yosuke. And when they crested the rise, there really seemed nothing else to say.


	24. Chapter 24

24.

_3.24.16_

A winding, hundred-legged lizard coiled around a minotaur and a cockatrice, the feathered tatters of its wings rocking in the wind. A deerlike peryton lay beside a manticore, branched antlers catching the light. A red eagle, banded with gold and blue, crouched over the form of a maiden, her hands bound by a noose, her hair blowing across her featureless face. There was a scaled calf-like unicorn, a naga with three tails and twelve arms, an eight-legged warhorse, a hunter with an iron bow, a weeping woman made of granite, a black bull with a golden sun hanging from his throat, an infant wrapped in a chrysalis, a rawboned tiger-like hound, a white stallion with the face of a man, an enormous spider whose body was made from an hourglass. They continued onward, their forms diminishing in the golden light.

"Shit," Kanji breathed. "These all Personas?"

"They're as much Personas as the other one is," Rise said, looking sadly back at the lone Persona, the woman holding the limp whip. "Asleep or dead or...I don't know."

"But they don't sleep," Chie said, though she'd said it before. "And they shouldn't be able to die. Not like this."

"Each of these Personas," Naoto said, "must represent an individual. Where did all these Persona-users come from?"

"Not the TV World," Yosuke answered. "Teddie would've said something."

After another moment's hesitation, they started down the slope, walking among the silent bodies. Naoto felt unreal. Just being close to these impossibly quiet Personas made her think there was no way she and her friends could actually be dead, or even there at all. She'd wake up. She shook herself. She wasn't dreaming, she knew that in her mind, but she couldn't make herself feel it. Even at its worst, the TV World had never been like this.

After five minutes, Yosuke stopped in the shadow of a skeletal dragon, each bone held in place by an unblinking eye. "How long does this go on? Just what are we supposed to be doing here?"

Souji cast around the tangle of bodies. "Rise-chan, could you...?"

"Sure." Stepping away from a two-headed amphisbena, she summoned Kanzeon. She was silent for a few seconds, then tensed, Kanzeon shattering around her. "Teddie!"

"Where?" Souji demanded.

Shielding her eyes with her hand - as if she could see better than her Persona - Rise stood on tiptoes, then pointed to their left, beyond an ornately carved sarcophagus. Souji and Yosuke were already running, the others catching up.

They didn't immediately take in what they saw, it was enough to recognize the egg-shaped, red, white and blue figure standing between a mechanized dolphin and a silver lion. Yukiko of all people reached him first, throwing her arms around him - then Chie barreled into both of them - then Rise's ankle got tangled in Chie's leg, and she crashed into them - and by then they'd all fallen, Naoto and the guys standing around them.

"Teddie, you stupid-" Yosuke's voice broke.

"Teddie!" Rise squealed.

"You're alive!" from Chie.

"I'm sorry I ever wanted you disappeared," Yukiko wept. "I've been feeling terrible about that and - Teddie?"

In another moment, the three girls scrambled off him. Teddie lay back, his large eyes reflecting the golden haze of the sky, his smile blank as a doll's.

"Teddie?" Yukiko's voice trembled. "Speak to us!"

There was a shaky intake of breath from the bear, then a single word: "...Score."

Yukiko leapt to her feet and darted away from the bear. "Teddie, you - you-!" She never swore and so found herself entirely at a loss.

Teddie shook himself, ears wobbling, and raised himself on his short arms. "Everyone...? You're here? Sensei?"

Souji dropped to his knees beside Teddie and hugged him, releasing him after a moment. "You all right?"

"I've...I feel like I've been dreaming." His eyes half lidded, and he put a round blue paw to each side of his head. "It's so blurry here. I was okay at first, but then...I went to go see her and...all this..."

Yosuke stepped up beside Teddie, blinking rapidly. "You ass-backwards bear! _Where have you been?_"

"Here of course," Teddie answered. "Did you get stupider while I was gone?"

"Do you know how long you've been in here?" Yosuke shouted. "Four days!"

Teddie chuckled weakly. "I'm glad I didn't sign up for any classes then."

Souji climbed to his feet and held out his palm. "Need a hand?" As he pulled Teddie up, he continued, "You have any idea where you landed?"

"Well...no..." Teddie's eyes curved sadly as he regarded the Personas around him. "I thought this was a good place at first, but then I saw all this, and I felt so weak." He shivered. "I don't like ghosts."

They stared at him. "Ghosts?" Naoto asked.

Teddie gestured around him. "These guys. They're dead. They can't do anything."

"Why did you call them ghosts?" Naoto persisted.

Teddie shrugged, squeaking softly. "What else?"

Naoto sought Rise's eyes. She seemed to be on the same wavelength, nodding. "I don't know why Fuuka-san called those flunkies ghosts, but..."

"Wait," Chie said, "you mean those guys from the Kirijo Group? But what does not being able to bleed have to do with Personas?"

"Guys - ah-" Yosuke rubbed between his eyes, wincing, as if he really didn't want to bring this forward, but now that they were all looking at him, he might as well spit it out "-the - blood - coming from the electrical outlets?"

Chie was already shaking her head. "No. No way. There's no way they can - that _can't_ be it."

"Huh, is that still going on?" Teddie asked. "I thought you were going to call an electrician."

"We are conjecturing-" Naoto interrupted "-assuming, without solid evidence, that these Personas and the ghosts are related."

"We've been doing that a lot lately," Kanji said. "And we've been right."

Naoto almost stamped her foot in frustration. This was_ not_ the way to form a theory, grasping at whatever was convenient. She took a deep breath, reviewed what Teddie had said, and was able to speak rationally. "You said you came here to meet someone, Teddie?"

"Yeah." His eyes drooped again. "I could sense her here, but then I realized she's - dead. Like the rest of them."

"Who?" Yukiko asked.

Teddie gestured the way they'd come, towards the Persona with the whip. "Her. She said her name used to be Artemisia."

Souji blinked at the name; Naoto could tell he'd remembered it too. It was Yosuke who recalled where. "Didn't Fuuka-san say Kirijo's Persona was named Artemisia?"

"Did Artemisia say anything else?" Naoto asked, deferring the question _How did the Persona speak in the first place?_ for another time. "Why is she here? What are Mitsuru Kirijo's intentions? What are all these Personas? Do you know anything about human ghosts?"

Teddie blinked, still sluggish. "Why is she bullying me like this?"

"I'm sorry," Naoto said, collecting herself. "Did Artemisia say anything else?"

"How 'bout we ask 'Are you all right, Teddie?'" Rise broke in, throwing Naoto a glare. "You don't look so hot."

"You think I usually look hot?" Teddie asked wistfully, which mitigated Naoto's self-chastisement - though she needed information - though she_ should _have noticed sooner how weak he was. He held his head between his paws again. "Maybe I shoulda waited before coming in here."

Naoto looked down at her feet, all but lost in the tall grass. It was hard not to bombard Teddie with questions. It was hard to know what to ask him in the first place. He needed rest, and she needed space to gain perspective. But did they even have time for that? Could Kirijo somehow strike at them here? Just another question to ask.

"I'm going to take a look around," Naoto said, finally deciding Teddie should rest and that he'd have a better chance of doing it if she weren't there to pester him. "We'll talk when you're ready."

"Always ready for you, Nao-chan," Teddie said around a yawn.

"You really are horrible," Chie said as Teddie flopped into the grass.

Souji sat cross legged next to him. "Let's all take a breather."

Yosuke leaned forward, as if about to argue, then rocked back onto his heels and assumed an air of nonchalance. "Whew, it's nice to hear those words for once."

Naoto had no intention of relaxing; if she couldn't get answers, she'd see what other clues she could glean from their surroundings. Making sure to mark her friends' location (she found the sarcophagus again and concentrated on its details and the surrounding Personas), she made her way through the uneven avenues between the bodies, as dissimilar as the trees in a forest. She was uneasy, thinking of cheerful, buoyant Teddie standing motionless among them for - all four days? What had happened?

_I'm in an alternate reality that may or may not be the ancient Greek concept of heaven. What's the point of theorizing? _

"Don't go sneaking off." She heard Rise's voice from behind her. "If one of us gets cut from the herd, you just know someone's going to attack." As Naoto turned, she saw Rise and Kanji strolling up the path towards her. Rise swung her arms out playfully. "You know what your problem is, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto braced and just barely stopped short of asking _Which one?_

"You don't have any plucky sidekicks. All detectives should have one."

Naoto looked from one to the other. Rise fulfilled the _plucky_ adequately; Kanji raised an eyebrow at the idol. Naoto smiled. "I never did meet a sidekick I could trust."

Rise frowned - then blinked - then cocked her head. "Whoa, Naoto, you made a joke. That _was_ you making a joke, right?" She cocked her head the other way. "You need more practice. In fact-" her gaze turned critical "-I don't think I've ever heard you laugh."

Naoto could feel heat on the back of her neck, the beginnings of blush. "I - I'm sure you've-"

"I don't mean that dry half-hearted snicker," Rise went on. "I mean a real laugh."

Naoto sighed. There was no point trying to soldier this out. "I admit I have not found many reasons to laugh."

She was disquieted by her friends' reactions: Rise's eyes widened while Kanji looked at her intently, like a wince.

"Not even when you're with us?" Rise asked softly.

"I-" Naoto swallowed. "It's just my nature. It's not that I mean either of you..." She looked from one to the other. That she meant them what? Insult? Disrespect? If she'd grown up with friends, would she have known what to say? Would she have had to say it? Finally, she looked down. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Kanji asked while Rise said, "It's okay. We'll just have to change that."

Naoto straightened, reflecting on their different responses. She gazed at Kanji perhaps a second longer than she did at Rise. "So..." She shifted her weight, balancing herself better. "How long should I hold off before you'll let me interrogate Teddie?"

"Always business, isn't it?" Rise asked, eyes narrowing. "I was trying to get you to relax."

Naoto spoke over a twinge of annoyance. "You know you can't always relax. You were an idol at thirteen, Rise. You didn't get there by relaxing."

Rise sighed heavily. "You want us to give up on you or what? C'mon, Kanji-kun, let's leave her to-" she put on a passable imitation of Naoto's voice "-_cogitate_." They watched as Rise turned and strode back up the path, then Kanji looked down at Naoto, raising his eyebrows.

"You can go if you want," Naoto said, watching Rise, failing to keep the unhappiness out of her voice. "I'm afraid I'm not good company right now."

"Rise can be a bitch," Kanji said matter of factly.

"I daresay all of us are at times," Naoto shot back. She looked away. "She didn't mean to needle me; I think she was annoyed she couldn't lift my spirits."

"Anything I can do?" Kanji asked, clearing his throat once.

Naoto used two fingers to lift her hatband and pull her hair out of her face. "Unless you can make Teddie talk, no."

There was a tangible silence, then Kanji turned. "Later then." He sounded neither hurt nor upset, but there was a catch in his voice. Naoto looked over her shoulder. Two friends in less than a minute, walking away from her.

Swallowing, she called out, "Kanji-kun?" He turned back. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me."

He sauntered back up to her, shrugging. "S'all right. Who gives a shit for manners?"

She folded her arms on her stomach, excuses - or simply explanations - passing through her thoughts. "I never had to learn how to treat other people. I was raised by Grampa, so I usually don't have to explain myself to him. When I work with policemen or other detectives on a job, we all have the same goal, so I only have to make sure I communicate clearly and efficiently. As for interviewing people for a case..." She shook her head. "That's a means of getting information, not getting to know someone. As you might remember from when we met." Her smile was the sort Rise didn't like, dry and half-hearted.

Kanji grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck, his expression pained for a moment.

Naoto studied his reaction. "I know I must have seemed cold and - well - strange singling you out so unexpectedly. I apologize for putting you off."

"Uh - no," Kanji said quickly. "I wasn't - that is - uh. It was fine." He cleared his throat. "I've always, uh, wondered: Why did you just walk up to me like that? That day. I'd never seen you before."

"I had just come on the case," Naoto answered. "It was early enough that most of the force didn't know I'd joined. I...wanted to wait until I had some information before I approached them outright." She trailed off, remembering how, even when she'd come forward with leads on the baffling case, she'd still heard mutters of _kid_ and_ brat_ and _Are we supposed to take this seriously?_ "I'd seen you on the news, and I'd already gone over the records of Mayumi Yamano's most recent purchases, including those from your shop. I spoke to your mother right as school was ending." She hesitated, wondering if this would come across as insulting - but she only rarely insulted Kanji, and she trusted he'd realize she wasn't now. "I knew you had a reputation for being a delinquent. I thought you might be aware of people or activities Inaba's more...conventional citizens didn't notice." She smiled more genuinely. "You disappointed me, but in retrospect, I'm glad for that."

He blinked. "You thought I was a thug?"

"Honestly, I was intimidated by you." She looked him up and down, underscoring their difference in height. "I thought you might try to rob me, which is why I kept our interviews so brief."

"You were scared of _me_?" She shrugged by way of answer. "Shit." He laughed, still incredulous. "S'not like you didn't have a gun."

"The truth is that I had initially misread you," Naoto acknowledged. "When we talked more in-depth, you seemed like a kind person." _And awkward_, she might have added, but then, most people were ill at ease when talking with a complete stranger.

"I did?" Kanji asked, mystified.

"Yes. When we parted, you said you wanted to see me again." She looked to the side. "I had been - approached before, by men and women, but never with any gesture of friendship. I was amazed you'd said that. I'm afraid I must have come across as even colder." She had walked away with nothing more than a noncommittal nod, making herself review their conversation for possible clues, which was safer than thinking about making friends. Her smile was hardly a smile at all. "I was at my worst then. I can't imagine why you wanted to see me again."

Kanji was flushed. "Well, you just - you seemed..." He trailed off and looked into the distance. "Honestly - honestly, I wasn't - sure - why I wanted to see you again." He looked sidelong at her, bracing. "I just did."

Naoto's mind worked quickly to align that statement with an orderly world. It happened so fast, she was barely aware of it. "Yes. Well. Neither of us had any friends at that point. It's natural that we would be drawn to each other." Realizing Kanji still hadn't looked away from her, she squared her shoulders. "Teddie should have rested enough." _And aren't I nicely relaxed by now? Rise will be delighted._ She walked back up the path ahead of Kanji, glad the high collar of her jacket hid the warmth along her neck.


	25. Chapter 25

25.

_3.24.16_

"Well...I woke up in the middle of the night, and I saw this light shining from the wall socket. So I decided to walk in-"

"You decided to walk in?" Yosuke interrupted. "You didn't decide to wake me or Souji up, you just walked your fuzzy ass in there?"

"If you're going to be mean," Teddie said, "I'm just going to sit down and meditate." And he plunked down on the grass and came as close as he could to crossing his arms.

"Please continue," Naoto said.

"Like I said before, it seemed like a really nice light. So I didn't see any _reason_ to wake people up, especially in the middle of the night when they're usually really cranky. Actually, Yosuke's always cranky. Anyway, so I thought I'd go explore and talk to Artemisia, since I could sense her." Naoto almost interrupted to ask how, then thought better of it. "But it...stopped being nice here. I picked up one of those flowers, and..." He shivered. "I felt like I was falling asleep and couldn't stop."

"And the next thing you knew, we were here?" Souji asked.

Pink bloomed on Teddie's cheeks. "Wow, yeah! The next thing I knew, three beautiful girls were sobbing over me, saying they loved me!"

"We didn't say that!" Chie squealed indignantly.

"We should have left him to rot," Yukiko grumbled.

"The bubbly, vivacious, windblown Rise-chan; the spunky, spritely, squeezable Chie-chan; the gracious, aloof, imperial Yuki-chan. Trifecta!" Teddie exulted. "But no boyish, squeamish, mysterious Nao-chan. C'mon, Nao-chan, don't I do it for you?"

"That's all you know?" Naoto said, before this could go any further (and her face get any pinker). Not even waiting for Teddie's reply, she turned to Souji, as if to force everyone's attention onto him. "Any ideas?"

"Do you think Kirijo's here?" They all stared at Chie, who took a step back, then kept talking. "Uh - that is - I was just saying if she had those bloody sockets, doesn't it make sense she could get here too?"

"I dunno," Yosuke said doubtfully. "The only reason we got in is because we have Personas. Unless she captured more of the other Persona-users - or is really a Shadow or something - I don't see how she could get through."

"But there's that other woman, Yukari Takeba," Yukiko said. "If she can access her Persona, she could have opened a gate to Elysion. If she's working with Kirijo. Which we don't know for sure," she ended, glum.

"That follows," Naoto said thoughtfully. "I still wonder at the roles the asphodels play. Perhaps their crossing from Elysion to our world is what caused the gates to appear in the first place, and going back requires a Shadow or a Persona. Which argues that the Kirijo Group made the first gate some time shortly before Teddie vanished."

Yukiko glanced around. "If Kirijo's here, I wonder why haven't we seen her. How big is this place?"

"I can't tell," Rise said. "It's bigger than Kanzeon can scan all at once."

"Teddie," Souji asked, "did you know there were this many Personas?" He gestured around the field.

"I don't know a lot," Teddie admitted. "I guess...you can find Personas in other ways than the TV World."

"The Kirijo Group," Naoto said, "extensively studied Shadows and Personas on Port Island. I don't know if they were able to manufacture Personas at will, or in what numbers." She looked around the silent figures; there were too many to count, but she didn't think there were more than three hundred. "I don't think the Kirijos can account for all of these, but that may explain some of them."

"It doesn't explain what they're doing here to begin with," Yosuke said.

"Let's get out of here," Souji said, helping Teddie to stand. "I don't think this place is doing you any favors."

* * *

_3.24.16_

Masaru Shirogane did the crossword of a lesser-known Welsh newspaper while waiting for a return call from a colleague in Port Island, hunting for information on the Kirijo Group. It didn't take his mind off of Naoto, but it channeled his energy to something constructive - something constructive and unimportant, so if he messed up or got distracted or never finished at all, no one would be hurt. Not so with solving cases.

Absently, he realized he'd been doodling Naoto's profile in the margin of the puzzle, Naoto as she'd looked as a toddler. He smiled, shook his head at his own preoccupation, and poised his pen to scribble it out. And couldn't bring himself to, because, doodle or not, it was his grandchild's face. He lowered his pen with a sigh. At least he knew what she was up to now. If he had a chance when this was all over, he'd give her a pointed lecture about leaving him in ignorance of her peril for three months.

_I didn't know about the TV World and the death goddess until it was all over_, he reminded himself. _She got through that all right. _She was damn lucky. It was too much to hope that she'd be that lucky a second time. But then, she had a few important things in her favor: She was smart, driven and capable. She was also only twenty years old. He might have encouraged Naoto to become a professional detective before she'd hit puberty; he and Yakushiji might have praised her for remaining composed in the face of adults; people might have raised their eyebrows at her unexpected level of maturity; but part of her would always remain a child to her grandfather. And he couldn't forget that his own son had not lived to see thirty.

There was a knock at the door - just three knocks, not Naoto's favored signal. "Enter," Shirogane said, putting the crossword to one side.

Yakushiji stepped in and bowed. "Sir, there is a disturbance at the front gate."

"Of what nature?"

"Three individuals demand entry. Their leader gives his name as Akihiko Sanada."

Shirogane leaned back in his chair, folding one hand over the knuckles of the other. He knew the name from Naoto's story. He knew that this Sanada had last been seen attempting to kill his grandchild. He knew also that Sanada was at least nominally allied with the people who had saved Naoto and Rise Kujikawa. And he knew that Sanada had once been engaged to Mitsuru Kirijo and had defended her from Naoto at peril of his own life.

He lowered his hands. "Please show them in." As Yakushiji left, Shirogane opened his desk drawer, withdrew a small pistol, loaded it, and set it back in the drawer, partially closing it.

In short order, the door was again opened. Shirogane impassively watched as they filed into his office: a weedy young man with a battered baseball cap and a bloodstained tee shirt; a blonde girl in a high necked green dress, moving with an odd stiffness that made Shirogane suspect she was one of the androids Naoto had mentioned; and a tall silver-haired man with a leather jacket and gloves. All of them looked as though they'd seen trouble, their clothes stained and ripped, the taller man with a bruise on his jaw.

The hatted man glanced around the small study as if trying to catalogue every detail or threat, rolling his shoulders nervously. The android met his eyes as he looked at her, standing quietly, wasting no movement. The gloved man stepped forward, approaching the desk.

Shirogane gestured them to sit. They remained standing. "Shirogane-san," the gloved man began, "my name is Sanada." Shirogane didn't acknowledge that. Sanada's face was calm, but Shirogane noted that his left fist was clenched tightly. "Do I have to explain why I'm here?"

"It would be beneficial," Shirogane said blandly. "Both for you to achieve your ends, and myself to ascertain whether I should let you."

If that nettled Sanada, he still kept his tone businesslike. "I know you're holding my friend here. Fuuka Yamagishi."

"Ms. Yamagishi arrived here two days ago, suffering from fatigue and malnutrition," Shirogane answered. "She is currently in my care, yes."

"In your care or being held prisoner?" the other man broke in. Shirogane assumed this was Iori.

Shirogane chose his words carefully, weighing what he would commit himself to. "You showed compassion and solicitude to my granddaughter when she fell into your hands. I would not repay you with anything less. Ms. Yamagishi is quite safe."

"I didn't ask if she's safe," Iori said. "I asked if she's a prisoner."

"I am not," Shirogane continued, "so certain of Sanada-san's compassion." He looked up at the policeman. "If I am to hand Ms. Yamagishi over to you and believe you are my ally, I must first understand why you nearly killed my granddaughter. By your comrades' admission-" he nodded towards Iori and the robot "-you and she shared the goal of killing Mitsuru Kirijo. But you thwarted her and defended your enemy."

Like a chink in a wall, doubt broke through Sanada's composure. He hid it by lifting his chin, looking at some point over Shirogane's shoulder.

"It is not easy to kill a friend," the android said, voice soft but heavy. Naoto had said her name was Aigis, and now that she had spoken, Shirogane looked at her with more interest. Aigis brought her hand to her throat, the gathering of a bright red ribbon. "Even with all she's done, we remember Mitsuru as she used to be. If I saw someone trying to hurt her, I might protect her, even if I were trying to kill her as well."

Sanada's expression was closed.

Shirogane shot Aigis another look. Was she an android? It was difficult to believe a machine could understand doubt and regret. But he guessed the influence lay with Sanada, not his followers. "I understand your reluctance, but it does not inspire trust."

"It's my fault," Sanada said. Shirogane recognized his tone of voice. He'd heard it from Naoto, and himself, the inflection of someone saying very hard words while trying to maintain an unbreakable façade. "It won't happen again."

Shirogane had heard many promises in his life, few of them kept, no matter how sincerely they were made. He wasn't even sure if he believed in Sanada's sincerity. "If I entrust Fuuka Yamagishi to you, what will you do in return?"

"As you said, we both want the Kirijo Group neutralized," Sanada replied. "I can't offer you money. I doubt you want it. The most useful thing I can do is to help your granddaughter." He took a steadying breath. "And I will."

* * *

_3.24.16_

Fuuka stirred, the familiar voices disorienting her. Was it time for school? Had she fallen asleep during the Dark Hour? She opened her eyes to see Akihiko leaning over her, saying her name.

"Senpai?" she whispered, the honorific coming naturally to her. She was about to ask why she was in a hospital before she realized this wasn't a hospital, only a clinic - the Shirogane clinic - and she was far from her days as a member of SEES.

"Hey, Fuuka-chan!" Junpei stepped into her line of vision. On the other side of the bed - was that Aigis? "Don't look so scared. It's just us."

Fuuka hadn't even thought to be scared until he said the word. Then she braced, her eyes widening. Had Mitsuru sent them? Whose side were they on? What had happened to Souji and those others? Were they back yet? Was it all over?

"How do you feel?" Akihiko asked. "Do you think you can move?"

Fuuka sat up. Her arms trembled and she was very stiff, but otherwise she was better. She didn't let down her guard. "What's going on?"

"Whew!" Junpei sank onto the chair by the bed, elbows on knees. "That's a tall order. And we just got through explaining it to Shirogane-san. And you've been out of the loop for a while, stuck in the mansion."

Fuuka ran the edge of the thin blanket between her thumb and forefinger. "I didn't believe people when they said I'd been missing for so long. I remember being taken and forced into the back of a car. The ghosts made me Evoke, and then..." She squinted. "And then I have hazy memories of being in that room ...and something about flowers...and it started to clear up, and Rise-san was there, and I didn't know how much to tell the ghosts, but I knew I couldn't get out on my own, so I tracked Persona-users for them...and...those boys found me."

"The flowers..." Aigis' voiced trailed, distant. "We have seen them, though none of us have handled any."

"From what I've seen and what I can guess," Akihiko explained, "the asphodels allow a Persona to manifest in this world. They somehow break down the barriers that inhibit us from our Personas. Like Evokers." He looked to the side, eyes growing distant. "I remember hearing the Kirijo Group experimented with different formulae in their labs. Mitsuru... I don't remember hearing about asphodels, but they used many combinations of drugs to suppress the conscious mind. Some succeeded."

Junpei tightened his mouth. No one mentioned Chidori.

"Fuuka-chan," Akihiko went on, thinking, "you called some of Mitsuru's henchmen ghosts. Why?"

"Because they-" She looked puzzled. "It - it seemed the right word. There's something missing in them."

"Personas," Aigis said.

Fuuka looked up quickly, about to speak, then frowned as she considered it. "But most people don't have Personas."

"Most people don't have manifested Personas," Aigis said slowly, as if reasoning it out as she spoke. "Most people are never able to personify them. It is unnecessary for them. You cannot provoke a manifestation on your own, and attempting to force an evocation rarely works well."

"But that never mattered to the Kirijo Group. Mitsuru's grandfather began twenty years ago," Akihiko said heavily, "trying to cultivate Personas. Most of the tests turned up negative, but they kept the data. Now the group's made more Persona-users."

"But then why are they missing their Personas?" Fuuka asked. "I don't see how it's possible, not without killing them."

"When you separate a human from its second self," Aigis said, "the human becomes a shell. When we evoke our Personas against the ghosts and kill them, even their bodies disappear. I do not have enough data to conjecture what happens to the Persona.

"The ghosts have broken the barrier necessary to form a Persona, then lost their Personas," Aigis went on. "They seem to have gained better hearing and more stamina than a human. But they are also numbed to many human emotions - such as fear. They are more reckless, therefore willing to carry out Mitsuru's plans."

"And Mitsuru's-" Junpei glanced over, seeing that Akihiko was looking away "-done it to herself."

"Mitsuru," Akihiko said, not turning, "shrugged off a bullet wound to the heart." He sighed. "Last year, I heard rumors of people in the Kirijo Group dying from experiments, Personas manifesting. I thought someone in the group must've turned against Mitsuru, but when I investigated further..." His voice trailed off, his eyes dark, head slightly bowed. In a way, he looked like Shinjiro. "All month, the group's been moving quickly. Mitsuru must have gotten hold of those flowers recently, perfected her methods."

Fuuka shook her head, wishing she could disbelieve, fingers twisted tight. "Why is she doing this?"

As she looked around the circle, gazes flicked away, faces tilted down. In the end, it was Aigis who said it, though she had the most to fear: "Minato."


	26. Chapter 26

26.

_3.25.16_

They gazed at Souji's butt.

It had been no small task finding the gate back to The Dorm. In the first place, it had vanished. In the second, there were few landmarks to guide them to their original location. Through the concentrated efforts of Kanzeon's scans and Teddie's nose, they'd found the exit. They couldn't see it, only the softly waving asphodels and the cloudy gold sky, but Teddie and Rise were sure it was there.

"You just need to find the outlet, Sensei," Teddie said, blinking slowly. He was leaning on Yosuke (he'd asked Yukiko for support, and the look she'd given him was the equivalent of a Critical Hit from Chie). "Try using your Persona."

They stepped back as Izanagi-no-Okami materialized in front of Souji, his stance echoing his first self's. The air around him seemed to shiver, as if his living presence somehow unraveled it - and in the unraveling, they saw the flickering outline of the door. Now that they could recognize it, it remained visible.

"Don't just rush through," Yosuke cautioned, grimacing as Teddie slumped against him. "Check to see if it's safe."

Souji stepped up to the door and stuck his head through, then his shoulders, his torso disappearing into a golden haze.

Which left them contemplating the seat of his jeans.

"Dude, hurry it up," complained Yosuke.

Souji leaned back in. "It's clear. I don't even hear any police."

"That's right," Chie said. "When we left, wasn't your neighbor freaking out because he saw Kanzeon?"

"Hm." Rise shifted from foot to foot. "Maybe we should wait a bit?"

Yosuke gave Teddie a sharp look; his eyes had drooped closed. "We're not waiting."

Teddie blinked and drew a deep breath as they hoisted him back into his bedroom, and he toddled gratefully to his beanbag chair, flumping into it. Above their heads, they could hear Russian rap, somewhat muted, and no other sounds.

"Hey, guys!" Chie turned around the room. "What time was it when we went in?"

"Not quite lun..." Yosuke also looked around, then up at the wall clock. "It's one in the morning!"

They glanced at their watches, cell phones, out the dark window - there was no arguing it. Not that it stopped them. "No way," Chie said, "no way we were in there _that_ long."

Yosuke laughed shakily, looking at his cell. "At least it's the same year. There's still that." He tipped his head back and groaned. "What the hell is all this? Okay, look," he said, switching gears with his customary facility, "we were in an alternate reality. A...slight time difference isn't that big of a surprise."

"I don't like the idea of losing so much time," Naoto said, "but Yosuke-senpai's right. There's no point complaining about it."

"How do you feel, Teddie?" Yukiko asked. Despite her earlier harshness (and the fact that she kept three feet of distance between them) her tone was sympathetic.

"Mmm, a back rub would be nice," Teddie said, winking at Yukiko.

"Don't kill him," Souji said, "after we went to all this trouble."

"You pick the worst times to joke, man," Yosuke said. "What's our next move?"

"I need to reconnoiter with Grampa," Naoto said. "He'll be wondering where we've been."

Yukiko winced. "My parents are probably upset. They don't have any clue where I am."

"Mine either," Chie said. "To say nothing of everyone at the police station."

"Crap," Yosuke said, "the manager's bound to tell my dad I haven't been to work..."

"With Kirijo gone, I'm reluctant to assume we're safe," Naoto said, "but perhaps we should separate and regroup later. It will give us a chance to get some perspective. And make explanations."

Souji crossed his arms. "I agree. We can't keep rushing from place to place. We need to step back and look at everything." He thought a moment longer. "For a second or two."

"Let's find the next train to Yasoinaba." Naoto dialed on her cell. "I ask that you all come to the estate tomorrow, by eleven o'clock, shall we say? Reassure your families as best you can, and then let's get back to work."

The next train left at 2:46. Though they were remaining at The Dorm, Souji and Yosuke left Teddie to sleep and walked with the others through the softly dark streets to the train station, all of them making tentative plans. As they crossed in and out of the streetlights, their mood gradually lifted.

"It's almost like we're kids again, us all being together," Chie said wistfully. "We weren't usually out this late."

"Huh?" Yukiko raised her eyebrows at her best friend. "We're not kids anymore?"

"I dunno," Chie said, chafing her arms. "I just...feel like we stopped being kids when we went our separate ways. It was sad, you know?"

"I get what you're saying, but don't bring us all down." Yosuke stepped between the girls and slung an arm around each's shoulder (Chie blushed, and Yukiko shied slightly away). "You'll always be kids to me."

"What the-?" Chie's blush was gone. She grabbed Yosuke's wrist and thrust his arm away. "You're the one who said we - we'd develop into grown women!"

Yukiko's eyes widened. "I remember that. It was during the camp-out." Almost delicately, she stomped on Yosuke's foot and jumped away.

"And_ you_ agreed with him." Chie whirled on Souji.

"Hey," Souji said, sidestepping from her, "that was five years ago. What's the point of bringing it up now?"

"What're you talking about?" Rise asked.

"No more stomping!" from Yosuke. "Dammit, you pushed us in the drink and we ended up with Moron Puke all over us. Wasn't that revenge enough?"

Naoto stopped walking to look at the others. "Moron...Puke?"

"And Kanji and his _nosebleed_," Yukiko growled.

Kanji took a step back. "I didn't mean to-"

"_Why_ are you overreacting?" Yosuke probably had addressed this inquiry to Chie, but he'd craned his neck back and was looking up at the stars, gesturing theatrically. "All I meant is that you're both so - so - it's just like old times, being with you, okay? The good things don't change." He straightened and looked at Souji, then Kanji. "Right?"

Kanji raised a dubious eyebrow. "Sure, if you mean it's all screwed up like it was before."

"That's not what I meant," Yosuke said witheringly.

"And I'm not sure you meant something complimentary to begin with," Chie said, still more witheringly.

The glare from the train station was unwelcome. There were very few passengers at this time of night and that somehow made it harder for them to talk freely.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Souji said. He began to frown, his eyes thoughtful, then he settled his face into calmness. But he looked at each of them in turn. "Stay safe, all right?"

"Aw, Senpai." Rise giggled.

"No, we mean it," Yosuke said. "Nobody else better get kidnapped or go missing. If your electrical outlets start glowing, _stay put_."

"Everyone call me in the morning," Naoto said. "It's the easiest way to do a headcount."

"And don't forget, we've all got our Personas now." Chie obviously didn't want to sound worried, but she didn't entirely succeed. "We've got that much going for us. So if anyone's attacked...don't hold back from kicking ass!"

Yosuke and Souji waited until the others had boarded before heading back. The five of them took up two sets of seats, facing each other. Chie yawned. "I know we missed a couple hours but...I feel tired." She leaned her chin on her hand and stared out the black window.

"What's up, Naoto-kun?" Rise asked.

"Nothing." The detective had, as usual, nabbed her own window seat, Kanji beside her. She now seemed to be trying to unobtrusively look around him, to study the other passengers. "Just...checking."

Yukiko sighed. "What are we going to tell our parents?"

"Uh..." Chie tapped her feet alternately on the floor. "Last they heard, we were having a sleepover. Um...we went to Naoto's and stayed there because it was...so much fun? And we're going back there later today?"

"We got drunk and passed out for several days?"

"Yukiko!"

She sighed and shook her head. "It makes as much sense as any other excuse."

"Hey," Rise said softly, "can I crash at one of your places?"

"That's right," said Chie. "You shouldn't even be here. You're missing."

"Yeah, I'd rather not draw any attention to my presence. If the media finds me, it's going to be hard explaining where I've been for the past week."

"I don't recommend the inn, then," Yukiko said. "So many of the employees know you already, not to mention the guests. It'd be hard sneaking you in."

Chie chewed her lower lip. "My parents are going to be, um, barbecuing me as soon as they realize I'm home. I don't think this is the best time for a sleepover."

"Okay." Rise was glum, but she brightened up. "Then it's you, Kanji-kun?" She winked. "I know I'm safe with you. You're a gentleman, even if you do look like a thug."

For a moment, Kanji was unequal to speech, only accomplishing a small choke far back in his throat. Then he managed, "Uh - if you think - I mean..." He glanced around the circle, trying to gauge what the others thought of this. Chie and Yukiko were watching him unconcernedly, Naoto was gazing out the window, hat brim over her eyes. None of them looked as though she was about to lunge over and dismember him. None of them looked as though she cared, which was...both complimentary and downright insulting. Oh well. Was just Rise anyway. "Sure."

"Great." Rise folded her hands on her knees. "I'll cook you a fabulous breakfast."

"Rise can come home with me," Naoto said quickly.

"Huh? Hey!" Rise lifted her chin. "My cooking's come a long way, Ms. Shirogane. I won't even put cayenne in the omelet."

"There is ample room for you at the manor," Naoto went on, not turning from the window, "therefore no need to impose on Kanji."

"S'not a problem," Kanji said. "I mean, I can just take the couch-"

"I insist," Naoto said flatly, a faint flush to her cheek.

"Okay." Rise settled back in her seat. "But I can't shake the feeling you're only doing this to save his stomach." But she studied Naoto a moment, then arched one eyebrow.

The other girls chattered inconsequentially for the rest of the train ride, but aside from calling for cars from the estate, Naoto remained quiet. By the time they stepped into Yasoinaba Station, Yukiko and Rise were yawning too.

"Just tell the driver your addresses," Naoto said, nodding to one of the two cars. "And don't forget to call me tomorrow. I'll send some cars to bring you to the estate."

"Argh," Chie, at a bit of a distance, was saying. "C'mon, Yukiko, we need to come up with a story for our parents, and it has to be the _same_ story. Work with me here!"

"Um...we were...helping out at Junes? I mean, the one near The Dorm?"

"For five days?"

Kanji shook his head. "I'm just glad Ma is outta town."

Naoto studied the pavement, as if looking for faults. "If you have no one to report to, you can come with us to the estate. No, but you have your cat. You'll need to feed it," she recalled even before Kanji said anything. "Never mind." And she turned before he could say anything else. "Rise-chan, are you ready?"

"Sure thing." Rise led the way to the other car. "Sleep tight, you guys. Don't stay up too late arguing with your parents." When she and Naoto entered their car, the pop idol was more subdued. "I gotta call my own parents. I wonder if they know I'm missing..."

"Last I heard, your disappearance wasn't public knowledge," Naoto said, taking off her hat and leaning her head back against the soft cushions, closing her eyes.

"Yeah, Inoue-san covers stuff up pretty well. Still, I'll bet he's told my parents."

"Do you have any plausible alibis?"

"I dunno. I guess I could say I went camping in the desert to find myself, then jetted home to Japan." She almost sounded philosophical, then she rolled her eyes. "Stars do weirder stuff than that. They'd still chew me out and probably not believe it, but at least it's an explanation. So," she said, repositioning herself on the seat as she changed tact, "you kinda gave Kanji-kun the brush-off there, didn't you?"

Naoto opened her eyes. Her voice sounded more tired than worried. "Did I? I suppose I..." She shook her head. "What else was there to say?"

"Well, if you're investigating a case, I guess nothing."

Naoto looked down and wished she hadn't taken off her hat; it gave her the illusion of a shield. Her voice was harder than she meant it to be. "I'm sorry I'm too businesslike to joke around."

"You should be," Rise shot back. After a moment, her tough demeanor dropped away, and she leaned forward. "C'mon, Naoto-kun, I hate seeing you like this. When you get into a case, sometimes it's like we're - we're tools in solving it, not your friends."

Naoto closed her eyes again. "That's not how I mean it to be. It may be that I'm a better detective than friend."

"Then stop being a little oyster." Opening her eyes, Naoto saw Rise pantomiming a closed shell. "I know it's not easy for you, but try. You know, when we all used to see each other more, every time we'd part, I'd think, _Hey, look, Naoto's finally loosening up._ _She's actually fun when she's not on the job. _And now every time we meet up again, I think, _Nope, still the same little fuss-budget in cute clothes_."

A smile quirked the edge of Naoto's mouth. "Fuss-budget?"

"You're worse than my grandma sometimes," Rise averred. "But you dress better."

The smile wasn't entirely gone. "If I loosened up, would I still be myself?" She didn't ask it rhetorically.

Rise sighed. "Maybe not." She yawned, then rubbed under her eyes. "I don't always know why we're all friends - but we are friends. As different and crazy as we all are. Shoot, I'm trying to sound deep. I must really be tired."

Naoto looked out the window, though there was little she could see, darkness and the passing flicker of a house light. "So you'd like me better if I were someone different?"

"Um-" Rise looked as though she'd just pricked her finger. "No, that's not what I meant. I just - I just think you'd be happier if you were a little more open."

"Open?" Naoto repeated. "What's there to be open about?" She gestured vaguely. "I don't have a lot of hidden depths you people don't know about. Not anymore."

Rise stared at her. "Do you even realize you're lying?"

Naoto's eyes widened with surprise; she was so taken aback it didn't occur to her to be angry or defiant. "What?"

Rise shook her head. "I don't know whether to be impressed or sad." She watched Naoto a long space, intent. "Naoto-kun," she said eventually, and there was nothing unkind in her voice, "I know you say we're all your friends. And I know you believe what you're saying. I just hope it's true."

_Rise can be a bitch sometimes,_ Naoto reminded herself.

But she didn't have an answer.

Shirogane was waiting for the girls as they stepped inside the manor. He put his hand on Naoto's shoulder and offered Rise a cursory smile. "Both of you should get a good night's rest. We'll discuss...matters in the morning."

"Has anything happened, Grampa?" Naoto asked, allowing him to guide her to the staircase.

"In the morning," Shirogane said. He waited until Rise had been conducted to her guest room before frowning down into Naoto's face. After a moment, he kissed her forehead; Naoto never would have let him do it five years ago. "Get some sleep while you can."

"That sounds like a warning."

He squeezed her shoulder. "Good night." And walked down the hallway that led to his rooms. Naoto watched him go, then drew a deep breath as she turned down her own hallway. She found herself shuffling through all that had happened that day - Elysion, the ghosts, Grampa's warning. Even what Rise said. _Am I really that bad? I can't be anyone but myself. Is that good enough?_

In truth, she still found herself wishing her friends weren't in this with her. Not because she didn't want them, but because she was afraid for them.

* * *

_3.25.16_

"Souji? _Souji!_"

"Zzz - What? Is something wrong? Don't tell me Teddie's-"

"Stupid bear's passed out in his room. For a guy who's been doing nothing for four days, he sure sleeps hard."

"Then...what's the problem? Did you talk to your dad?"

"....Yeah."

"What'd he -"

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"What'd he say?"

"Words I didn't know he knew. Anyway - that's over. I told him I'll have to fob off work tomorrow because I need to make up class work. Then I hung up."

"We do have to make up class work. Not that that's the point. So everything's okay on that end?"

"....Basically. Relatively. Sort of."

"So what's the problem?"

"Is there anything in this dorm to eat besides _ramen?_"

* * *

_3.25.16_

"Chie? It's me."

"I thought you'd call. So...?"

"Are your parents through with you?"

"That's what they said. _We're through with you!_ I think they didn't mean it, exactly. I mean, they were really crazy for a while. They wanted to ground me. I guess I _should_ be glad we're not kids anymore."

"My mom's really upset. She says I can go to Naoto's tomorrow only for an hour, and when I get back, I have to work three shifts at the front desk every day for a month."

"Yeesh, Yukiko. I'm really sorry."

"She's convinced we were out with some guys."

"We were."

"Yeah, but she refuses to believe it was just Kanji and Souji and Yosuke. She doesn't want me to bring any scandal to the inn, you know."

"As if you would. C'mon, Yukiko, she's your mom. She knows you. In the morning she'll realize she's overreacting."

"Yeah."

"You sound glum."

"Well, Mother might be sane again by morning. But Dad's still in shock, and it'll probably wear off about the time Mother calms down."

* * *

_3.25.16_

Beanbag initially freaked when Kanji stepped in, but the kitten soon recalled that this was his beloved Provider of Food - once his small fuzzy face was buried in a freshly-filled food bowl, much appreciated after days of fending for himself. Beanbag expressed his thanks by winding himself around Kanji's ankles. Kanji, busy at the stove making a late night/early morning omelet, nearly tripped four times. In the end, he picked the kitten up and zipped him into the front of his jacket, where Beanbag could purr rapturously without being underfoot.

Right now, Kanji didn't want to think about how the shop hadn't been open for four days and if any word of that had reached his mother. He was starving, and being in his own home gave him the temporary façade of safety. Last week at this time, life had been routine. He could only hope that next week at this time, it would have settled down again. With everyone safe.

He scanned the news while eating and, finding nothing important (even the buzz about the Kirijo mansion's collapse was no longer interesting to the media), decided there was no point in staying up. Cuddling Beanbag against his throat, he walked into his bedroom, flicking on the light. He tensed - checked the outlet - clean. With a sigh of both weariness and relief, he plunked down on the edge of the bed, letting Beanbag jump onto the cover. He watched the kitten pad across the rumples, admiring his fluffiness. And suddenly he recalled that the last time he'd been home, Naoto had slept in here.

Kanji glanced around the room. Nothing was out of place; there was no sign she'd been there at all. He studied his pillow, the dent in its center. For a moment, he almost picked it up and held it to his face, just to think of her cheek resting against it. Instead he grimaced and turned it over, punching it into a totally different shape. After a moment, Beanbag leapt onto the pillow and curled up, reclaiming his own.


	27. Chapter 27

27.

_3.25.16_

Feeling a bit like his own mother, Souji peeked into Teddie's room as he crossed through The Dorm. Teddie was still sleeping, his snores soft wuthering wheezes. He looked all right, even content. Maybe he was dreaming of beauty pageants. Shaking his head, Souji continued to the front door. He hadn't slept long, getting up when he heard the morning paper smack against the driveway, throwing on the first pair of clean matching clothes that came to hand. Now he shuffled outside, stepping around the Junes Bike to get the paper. No important headlines screamed out at him (CULPRITS BEHIND KIRIJO COLLAPSE DISCOVERED; MITSURU KIRIJO FOUND; JAPAN IS LOST IN AN ALTERNATE REALITY LOOSELY BASED ON GREEK MYTHOLOGY). Well, at least they were keeping that much secret.

"Souji, he-e-e-ey."

Souji looked up at the teasing trail of her voice. A small, slender girl with long black hair and dark eyes had stopped by the driveway, keeping a firm grip on her leashed Pekinese. She always reminded him of Yukiko, but Souji had never brought that up with Yosuke; he wasn't sure Yosuke himself realized it. Souji tucked the paper under his arm and strolled over. "Hey, Kaori. How're things?"

They hadn't known each other long, so still put their best faces forward. Souji didn't entirely believe the bright smile she gave him. "I could ask you that. Where've you guys been? Yosuke's been ignoring my calls." Still teasing, though pointedly.

Souji was confident his face gave nothing away. "Visiting our friends in the country. It was pretty hectic, we all kinda lost track of time."

"Is Yosuke-kun up?" She glanced past him. As far as Souji knew, she'd never been in The Dorm, and he knew most girls were morbidly curious to check out where their guys lived.

"Nah, we didn't get back until three last night. We're all tanked." He was sure Kaori had heard the hint, but by the slight firming of her lower lip, he saw that she wasn't going to go. Smiles aside, she wanted answers. It would only get worse if he made her wait outside. "You wanna come in? I'll kick Yosuke awake."

"Oh no, it's no problem," Kaori said, though she was already walking towards the door. "I'll just wait. I don't have any morning classes. You're so sweet, Souji."

Souji and Yosuke shared a morning class today, but there would be no point going - he still had to call Naoto, and then they had to catch a train for Yasoinaba to make it to the estate by midmorning. As soon as he closed the front door, Kaori clicked the Peke off its leash and let it go falumping around the front room, sniffing everything. Souji saw it hesitate by the wall socket, claw the wall, then dash to the far end of the room.

Souji didn't knock before entering Yosuke's room. His best friend was face-down on his futon. "Hey," Souji said. Yosuke muttered something and partially extracted his face from the pillow, glaring at Souji out of one eye. "Kaori's here. She wants to talk."

Yosuke blinked, his expression not altering. Then he raised his eyebrows. "Did you just say Kaori's here?"

"Yeah."

Yosuke sighed into his pillow. "What is with girls and always picking the worst times? Get lost, I need to get dressed."

"He'll be out in a second," Souji said as he returned to the main room. "Oh - thanks," he added, seeing Kaori had started a pot of coffee.

The smile she returned seemed more genuine. "Sorry I kind of barged in. But you know how Yosuke-kun is. He can be hard to get a hold of."

Souji shrugged. "No problem."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, glancing around the room. "Um...you like golf?" She nodded at the 3-iron slung across the couch.

"Yeah...my own style of it."

"This place is pretty neat," Kaori said. "I was expecting a lot more junk."

"We can't afford stuff," Souji said. "Food's bad enough, Yosuke's always complaining about budgets."

Yosuke cleared his throat as he stepped in, dragging on a long sleeved shirt. With the smallest of nods, Souji went back to his own room, making himself scarce. He sat cross-legged on the floor by his futon, dialing his cell.

For a moment, there was silence, then Naoto's voice, softer than usual. "Souji-senpai?" Another pause while he thought he heard her yawn, and then her voice was both stronger and at its deeper pitch. "Is everything all right on your end?"

"Seems to be. You can check me, Yosuke and Teddie off as 'safe' on your list."

"You're the first to call. You woke me up."

"Sorry 'bout that."

Through the connection, he heard some jostling from her sitting up. "Not at all. What train are you taking?"

"9:38, I was thinking."

"Good." She sighed.

Souji hesitated, weighing the risks. Then asked, "Everything all right?"

"What? Oh - yes." Another silence. Souji knew Naoto wasn't about to hang up. He could almost imagine her frowning, the phone held to her jaw. When she spoke, neither her voice nor her tone came as a surprise, though her words were unexpected: "Souji-senpai - Leader-" she gave a monosyllabic, unhappy laugh after using the old term "-do you think, if I worry about you all too much - that you're going to be hurt because of something I say or do - I'm taking too much responsibility?"

Souji rubbed his thumbnail against the side of the phone. He'd asked himself similar questions five years ago when, after being blessed with close friends for the first time in his life, he suddenly found himself leading them into certain danger. Again and again and again. "Naoto-kun," he said, "do you see yourself as some kind of bully?"

"What?"

"I mean, do you think you could make any of us do all this if we didn't want to?"

There was a long silence at the other end. He could faintly hear her breathing. "Senpai."

"So focus on what you need to do and stop worrying about us."

"But-" There was a short, impatient sigh. "I - see, Souji-senpai. Thank you. I'll see you later." And she hung up.

_"What?"_ came from the front room. Followed by Yosuke saying something very quickly. Then, "But you just saw them!" from Kaori. Souji considered a moment, then walked to his door and cracked it.

"Yeah, I know I just saw them," Yosuke was saying, "but we - we want to get together today too."

"What is this, some kind of cult?"

"Look, okay, my friends, they're really, really clingy. And there's so many of them, there's no point in arguing with them! I mean, Kanji alone could break me over his knee."

He heard Kaori pace rapidly; her tone was as much hurt as annoyed. "But there's a point arguing with _me_? Yosuke..."

"Agh - I - I need to wake Teddie up. Just - let's just cool off for a minute. Okay? Great." And he power-walked down the hallway to Teddie's room, not even noticing Souji as he passed.

Souji shook his head and decided the best thing he could do for his pal would be to run damage control. He stepped out of his room, joining Kaori. She'd crouched in front of her dog and was vigorously scrunching its ears, face turned away.

"Don't be too hard on Yosuke. He's pissed about this too." Perhaps bending the truth, but undoubtedly _something_ would happen that would annoy Yosuke. "One of our friends is going through a crisis." The team was having a mutual crisis, but he still hadn't lied. Exactly. "We just have to be there right now."

"I understand." Kaori's voice was shaky, and she cleared her throat before straightening and turning to look at him. "Just - you and your friends out there all seem really close."

"We are," Souji said, glancing at their picture on the wall.

Kaori walked over to the photo, looking at each face in turn. "Wow," she said after a moment, though not with much enthusiasm, "those girls are all really pretty." While Souji was debating how to answer, she went on, "Is - has Yosuke ever - liked - any of them?"

Souji looked at the floor, mulling this over. He knew Yosuke had a longtime thing for Yukiko, ever since they were in first year; he usually treated her respectfully, and she embodied Yosuke's ideal of fragile femininity. But then, he'd also wondered if Yosuke's constant teasing of Chie was a cover for something else. And, like most of Japan's male population, Yosuke had an awed adoration of the famous Risette, though he'd never really flirted with her. He'd even been sympathetic to Naoto because of her constant isolation. But still, was he just reading too much into... Souji looked up, realizing he hadn't said anything for a full twenty seconds and that Kaori's face was very white.

"Sorry," Souji said, bringing a hand to his forehead. "I'm totally blasted. Nah, he never dated any of them. In fact, most of the time, he makes them mad."

"Oh." She didn't sound wholly reassured, but at least the color returned to her cheeks. She studied the photo again. "Well...I guess it's good that you're all so tight, even after so long." She leaned forward with more interest. "That boy with the hat is a _doll_."

"C'mon, stop dragging your feet," Yosuke complained as he ushered the yawning Teddie into the room. Their live-in Shadow was disguised as a human today, his long-lashed eyes fluttering sleepily. Then they fixed on Kaori and he was suddenly standing straight, one hand suavely on his hip.

"Is this the lovely Kaori-chan?"

Kaori blinked and drew back at being addressed thus, but she was smiling. "Um, hi?"

"Hel_lo_." He stepped closer to her. "I see why Yosuke didn't want me to meet you. You dazzle me." Teddie was dazzling a bit himself.

From behind, Yosuke grabbed Teddie by the shoulders and steered him around Kaori. "We don't have time for this. Run out and get us some food."

"Should I get some for Kaori-chan too? How about champagne?" Teddie asked. Yosuke had shoved him half-through the door, but he turned back to give Kaori a wink.

"Be back in a half hour," Yosuke said, slamming the door on Teddie's debonair hand-wave.

"Wow." Kaori giggled. "You didn't prepare me for _him_."

"So anyway-" Yosuke glanced at Souji; Souji expected it to be a _Scram!_ sort of glare, but it was more of a _Oh man oh man oh man, I need a referee_ plea "-I dunno how long we're going to have to be gone."

"It's okay," Kaori said, looking down at her clasped hands. "Souji told me. You're helping a friend. Um..." She glanced back at the photo, then sidelong at her boyfriend. "Out of curiosity...who are you closest to? Aside from Souji and Teddie."

"Uh..." Yosuke threw Souji a searching look. Souji didn't respond, not sure how telegraph _Don't pick a girl_ without Kaori noticing. "Dunno. I guess I've known Chie the longest."

"Which one is Chie?" Kaori asked quickly.

Yosuke gestured to Chie, who looked particularly pretty in that picture. Kaori frowned. "'Course, there's also Kanji. Dude, you say the right things, you can get that guy to do _anything_." Kaori relaxed as they regarded Kanji's face. "I'd tell you stories, but he might find out and demolish me. And - well - you know, Yukiko, she's really sweet. A total angel as long as you don't insult her cooking."

Kaori's attention went instinctively to Yukiko, her mouth tight.

"And Rise..." Yosuke shook his head and whistled. "What _can't_ I say about Risette? If you just see her movies and listen to her albums, you think she's amazing. But she's even better in real life. She has this way of squinching up her nose when she smiles that's just-"

Teddie came in humming, holding several take-out bags. "Your food has arrived, safe and sound."

"Dude, how'd you get back so fast?" Yosuke asked, turning away from the photo.

Teddie handed the food to Souji, then reached into the front of his thin shirt and withdrew a dewy bouquet of pink and white roses. "And a little something for my new friend."

"What the-!" Yosuke spluttered as Kaori accepted the flowers, gazing at Teddie in wonderment.

"Now, now, Yosuke," Teddie said, voice mellow, "don't stand there with your mouth open and don't let your breakfast get cold."

"We'll eat these on the way," Souji said. "We don't want to lose time."

"Right." Yosuke looked at Kaori. She gave him a tight-lipped smile.

Souji latched onto Teddie's arm and dragged him out the front door. "Aw, Sensei, I wanna watch!"

But Yosuke's and Kaori's parting was evidently not very tender. In any case, they'd stepped outside in about a minute, Kaori holding her roses close, her Peke trotting happily ahead of her. Yosuke had his hands in his pockets, forehead furrowed.

"Onward, soldiers!" Teddie cried out. "To Inaba, land of the cute school uniforms, beautiful women, and the Meat Dimension!" Souji and Yosuke fell into step behind him. Glancing back once, Souji saw that Kaori was watching them, her face still troubled.

* * *

_3.25.16_

Naoto's cell rang as she was fastening the close collar of her ratcatcher blouse. She flipped the phone open while fumbling with the closure with her other hand. "Chie-senpai?"

"Hi, this is just me reporting in. Is everyone else okay?"

"I still need to hear from Yukiko and Kanji-kun." Naoto reached for her belt, one handedly guiding it through her belt loops.

"I hope Yukiko can get away from her parents. Mine finally gave in. Mom gave me that _Well, you're an adult so I can't stop you_ face. For awhile, I was afraid I was going to have to sneak out." Naoto could hear Chie click her teeth together as she thought. "I really hate doing this. But they'd be even more worried if they knew."

Guilt stabbed Naoto. "You don't have to come."

"No - I mean, of course I will! I just hope that someday we'll be able to tell them about everything." She laughed uneasily. "We have this whole world our parents don't know about. When most kids say that, they mean something different. You're lucky your grandpa knows."

Naoto reached into her sock drawer. "You never told them anything?"

"Not really. I tried once or twice, but it...sounds so crazy. It all makes sense when you're right there in the TV World or whatever, and there're Shadows breathing down your neck and you have to summon your Persona or die. But take yourself out of all that, and it sounds like we're insane or high or - I don't know what."

"I admit, I was reluctant to tell Grampa at first too." _But then, I was used to telling him things, because he was the only person I had to tell things to._ "Do you think Yukiko-senpai will be able to get away?"

"I hope so. She's going to emphasize that she's going over to your place."

Naoto paused in the act of unrolling her socks. "My home is acceptable in her parents' opinion?"

"I guess. I mean, you're so adult."

Naoto smiled faintly. "I'm glad for Yukiko's sake then." They chatted a bit longer, Naoto reminding Chie of when she should be ready to be picked up, then she ended the call and went back to dressing. By the time Naoto had stepped into her boots, Yukiko had called to say that her parents were letting her come over. Two hours, tops.

"What do you think?" Yukiko asked dubiously.

Naoto grimaced. "You may have to disappoint them. We're working on Kirijo's timetable, not our own."

Yukiko sighed and hung up.

Naoto clipped her pistol to its leash, the leash to her belt loop, and dropped the pistol into her right pocket. Her phone rang as she was combing her hair. She opened it, saw the call was from Kanji, and, without noticing it, frowned as she set the phone to her ear. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'll see you in a few hours." And ended the call. Then she lowered her hand and stared at the open phone, berating herself for her rudeness. This was no way to treat a friend, especially one who had been through so much with her during the past few days.

But what else was she supposed to say? Eat good a breakfast? Bring a pointy chair? They were going to see each other in no time. She could apologize then, if she still felt she had to.

Restless, she drummed her fingers on her dresser. Even after having friends for five years - being "socialized", she might've called it - she still didn't always know how to deal with them like a reasonable human being. Maybe she never would. Rise had certainly called her on it often enough.

_Does Rise really want me to be someone different? Do they all? Do I want to be someone different?_

She looked herself squarely in the mirror. These were important questions. Questions she would do her best to answer. But now was not the time.

It never was the time, really.

She walked quickly through the hallways, making for the dining room. First a good breakfast. Then explanations from Grampa. By then, her friends should have shown up, and they could base their next move on Grampa's news -

Halfway to the dining room, Naoto stopped in her tracks. In a fluid motion, she pulled out her gun and flipped off the safety. Junpei Iori and Akihiko Sanada both braced themselves, the latter holding his hands out to either side, away from any potential concealed weapons. Though what difference that made to a man who killed with his fists, Naoto didn't know.

"How about we talk before you shoot?" Iori asked.


	28. Chapter 28

28.

_3.25.16_

It was beginning to rain. She glanced up as she heard the sudden light patter on the roof. She'd always liked having an apartment on the top floor, even if this building wasn't very high. Maybe someday she'd live in a penthouse. When was the last time she'd daydreamed about things like that?

She tilted her head back down, brown hair shifting against her neck, and looked at the carpet between her shoes. It was getting threadbare, and while she'd liked its bright blue color in the store, she hadn't liked it all over her bedroom floor. But, once bought, once cut up and measured out, once nailed down, there was no point in returning it.

_No point in returning?_

She stared at her feet, the brown, thick-soled boots. When she came in, arms laden, she usually held the door open with her left foot, and that boot had a faint scar because of constant wearing. Up the boots to her legs in their thin, lace-flecked hose, then the pink skirt that fell halfway to her knees. Her arms were braced on her legs, muscles slack, her fingers only exerting enough pressure to keep hold of the pistol in her right hand.

_There's no point asking if I'm doing the right thing,_ she told herself. _There is no 'right thing' anymore. _

She turned the gun over between her hands, watching the light play on its planed surface. The finish on the grip and trigger had been worn away years ago.

_I can't undo history. It would be wrong. The world had to be saved, and nothing's more important._ In her heart, she didn't believe it, but then, she wasn't sure how she could argue it. Even in her head, she didn't know if she believed it. But she must have, once. Faintly, she remembered saying so.

_But this isn't about undoing history. It's just adding another chapter, another - _

_Mitsuru told me I shouldn't do this. Then asked me to._

She rubbed her forehead, running her fingers through her hair. Mitsuru had said so many contradictory things, but inside them, the heart of her message had been consistent. There was a way.

_But Ken - and the others, are they even alive? Am I supposed to help Mitsuru hurt our friends?_

_But if they really were our friends, wouldn't they be helping Mitsuru?_

She shook her head quickly. She didn't know if she should be helping Mitsuru. Mitsuru didn't know. She'd just given the information. And asked. And warned. And looked away.

_I want to see him again._

She cradled the pistol in both hands, running her thumbs along it. _I guess that's just how I am these days.

* * *

_

_3.25.16_

Naoto didn't flip the safety back on. The most she committed to was angling her pistol slightly away from them, so that she wouldn't accidentally shoot either man. But it would take her less than a heartbeat to retarget.

"Your grandfather knows we're here," Sanada said. "He invited us to speak with you."

_Why didn't he warn me? _Naoto didn't waste time wondering, instead trying to decide how likely it was these two had breached the estate's security. They weren't trying to evade notice. If they hadn't sneaked in, they could only be here with Grampa's approval. "All right," she said, though she didn't lower the gun.

Neither had the two men relaxed. "We can work together," Sanada said, businesslike and wary.

"Why then did you attempt to kill me?" Naoto asked.

A brief tightening around his eyes was the closest Sanada came to a wince. "I lost my resolve. I admit it. It won't happen again."

"I am not convinced."

"Hey," Iori said, "Akihiko tried to kill you, fair enough. But who was it that saved your life?"

"Point taken," Naoto said reluctantly. "But I need to know more."

Sanada cocked one eyebrow, almost challenging. "Ask away."

When presented with this vista of information, Naoto wasn't sure where to start. But only for a moment. "What are Mitsuru Kirijo's plans?"

"Fuuka said she talked to you," Sanada said. "Did she tell you about the Seal?"

"No."

Iori rubbed his chin. "I guess I can see why. It's...not easy to-"

Sanada talked over that. "She told you about Nyx?" Naoto nodded. "The Seal bars Nyx from this world, and vice versa. It's held in place by Minato Arisato."

Naoto's grip tightened on her pistol. "Your leader? What do you mean? Fuuka-san said he died." Even as she said it, Naoto recalled that Fuuka had second-guessed her own words, claiming they weren't adequate.

"You can call it dying, if you want," Sanada said. "As far as I can see, Mitsuru wants to free him from the Seal. That's the closest thing to a motive I've been able to piece together. If she thinks she can do it without also freeing Nyx, I don't know."

"She and Yukari tried it once before," Iori said. "I thought we'd...resolved this." Sanada shot him an impatient look.

"And she must kidnap and kill Persona-users to accomplish this?" Naoto prompted. "Was that why she first attacked you?"

Again, Sanada's composure almost broke. "I think she wants us alive, or most of us. I just - found out too much."

Every Persona was precious, Kirijo had told her. Especially the developed, ascended Personas. "Where is the Seal located?"

"Great question," Iori said. "I'd say...it's more of a metaphysical location than something you can MapQuest."

"We got to it via Tartarus and the Abyss of Time," Sanada clarified. "Neither of which still exists. But Nyx hasn't destroyed the world, so that argues the Seal is still intact."

"But not," Naoto said, "that it can still be found. Unless that's exactly what Kirijo's after. At least, she may have found her way into another...'metaphysical location'."

Sanada and Iori glanced at each other, then back at her. Iori tried for a smile. "I'd tell you to explain yourself, but I'm not the one with the pistol."

"The ghosts, they've been parted from their Personas, the Personas are bound in an alternate reality called Elysion that can be accessed by certain electrical outlets that periodically hemorrhage. It is my belief that Mitsuru Kirijo may have hidden herself in Elysion to escape the wreckage of her mansion, though I do not as yet have any evidence to support this theory aside from the fact that no one saw her or any of her entourage leave Yakushima."

They took this in admirably fast. "You've been to this Elysion?" Sanada asked. "How did you get in?"

"It seemed to admit me and my friends because we had Personas. Kirijo, by her own admission, does not."

"If Yukari Takeba's with her," Sanada said, "she still has a Persona to use."

"And dammit, Yukari might be willing to go with her," Iori added. "She wants to see Minato more than Mitsuru ever did."

"I assume," Naoto said, "since you knew nothing of Elysion, you don't know why Kirijo wants all these 'dead' Personas?"

"To save Minato somehow," Sanada said. A weak answer, but there was little else to go on. So little that perhaps they had to pool their knowledge to have any idea what to do next.

Slowly - slow enough that she had time to tell herself not to do it not once, but twice - Naoto flipped the safety back on and pocketed her gun. She straightened her legs, which had been braced for an attack.

"So," Iori said into the loaded silence, "breakfast?"

* * *

_3.25.16_

Yukiko was looking at her watch. "Stop it," Chie said. "Two hours. Sure, it's not a lot, but we can accomplish_ some_thing in it."

"No," Yukiko said firmly, "we have one hour and twenty minutes. It's taken us twenty minutes to get here. It'll take me twenty minutes to get home."

"Nonononono. I'm sure your parents meant you have two hours _at_ Naoto's house. We're not there yet. The countdown hasn't started."

"Or they meant two hours total." Yukiko folded her hands severely in her lap. "My parents are still upset."

"Did you tell them you're with Kanji?" Chie asked. "They like Kanji. As far as they know, nothing can go wrong if you're with Kanji."

They passed under the front gate, through the rose arbor, out to the estate's front grounds. "Are we at Naoto's yet?" Yukiko asked dryly.

"No," Chie said. "And don't you count all the time it's going to take to climb those steps. In fact, I wouldn't start counting until we actually have Naoto in the room with us. You're here to see Naoto after all, not the house, so that's what your two hours are really about."

Yakushiji guided them to the dining hall where they'd breakfasted yesterday. The table was rather more cluttered, Naoto, Rise, Yosuke, Souji and Teddie already in attendance. Shirogane was of course there, and Fuuka Yamagishi, still pale, leaned back in her chair. There were three others none of them had ever seen before. Chie hesitated in the doorway. "Uh, hi?"

Naoto stood, the corner of her mouth angled down. There wasn't anything pleasant - or particularly unpleasant - in her tone. "Please sit." Perhaps deliberately, their friends were all sitting on one side, Fuuka and the strangers on the other. Chie sat next to Rise, Yukiko and Kanji falling in rank beside her.

"We thought it most prudent to wait until you were all here before we made any introductions," Shirogane said. He gestured to the man sitting at his left, across from Naoto. "This is Officer Sanada."

There was a beat of silence.

Then, verbal pandemonium.

* * *

_3.25.16_

Despite the parody of day and night, there was no passage of time in Elysion. Even the flowers didn't age.

Sundered from her first self, Artemisia's thoughts were suspended and static. She wasn't aware of tedium, so she never grew tired of reliving her last moments of life, the brilliance, the shattering cross, the overwhelming scent of flowers.

That Shadow that had called out to her - he had almost shaken her free. But everything was quiet now. A stray thought trickled through the thin chinks of her consciousness: She had no purpose here. She had no first self. She was only a memory, a frozen pulse, a moment in time.

* * *

_3.25.16_

"I don't know," Yosuke said slowly, eyes narrowed. He was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed. "What you say makes sense...as far as we know."

"Have any of us called _you_ liars?" Akihiko asked, fists tightening, then unfolding. "We're taking your word on faith. As far as we know, all Personas came from Tartarus, not some TV World. How do we know you're not a plant from the group?"

"Wheel in a TV and we'll demonstrate," Souji said, impatience edging his voice.

"_Our _side is the one who actually tried to kill Kirijo," Kanji went on. "You gonna call us their spies?"

"People," Junpei broke in, holding out his hands, "this debate, if you want to call it that, is less than helpful. Let's just say, _assuming_ we trust each other, what should our plans be?"

"If we don't trust each other," Yosuke said, "what's the point of planning?"

"If we don't trust each other," Kanji said, "why aren't we just beating the shit outta each other?"

A few people gave him impatient looks, but Naoto spoke up. "That's not a bad point. We aren't trying to thwart each other, at least, not at the moment. That speaks of mutual dependence."

"What does that have to do with trust?" Yosuke asked.

"It means that we need each other," Naoto said, gazing at the four figures on the other side of the table. "We know too much of each other to simply turn away now. You wouldn't have told us so much if you didn't want our help," she said, speaking directly to Akihiko. "And, in truth, I wouldn't have agreed to this meeting if I didn't feel the same." She turned to Souji.

Souji nodded. "Let's make some plans."

Akihiko's gaze shifted between Naoto and Souji, then settled on Souji. He didn't look pleased, but he nodded as well.

* * *

_3.25.16_

Aigis had been waiting for Yukari.

After graduation, she'd found it difficult to assimilate fully into human society. She was a hard worker, her employers always complimented her on that, but while the menial jobs she took would have satisfied a machine, Aigis felt unfulfilled unless she was near her friends. She lived with them at different times - Mitsuru, Junpei, Fuuka, Ken, Akihiko, Yukari - numb to any constructions outsiders might place on her presence. They called her an ideal housemate, helping with the chores while requiring little space and no money for food.

But it was Yukari who most often welcomed Aigis' presence. It wasn't guilt, it wasn't either of them apologizing for the Keys, though Aigis had once wondered if it was. It wasn't necessarily Minato, that his loss had driven them apart, then drawn them together. It wasn't that they had to remind each other to be strong, to fight the subtle pull of Erebus. Both had wanted to seal themselves off from Minato's painful memory. Aigis understood Yukari's despair at losing him, and her resolve. Yukari might have fought for the Keys, but Aigis had just as fiercely fought back. But at the end, they'd found meaning not in Minato's death, but in the strength of his friendship, and their own.

And so, even with the hope of freeing Minato, Aigis had been waiting for Yukari to come join her again.

If it had only been freeing him, freeing him while keeping the Seal intact, Aigis would have fought with all her being to do it. But Mitsuru hadn't asked for help, she had simply attacked. Freeing Minato must come with a price, a price Mitsuru doubted her friends would willingly pay.

_I cannot hurt my friends, even to save him._ Save him from the Seal, save him from Mitsuru? If Yukari sided with Mitsuru, would Aigis have to fight her a second time? _Whatever I do, I will hurt my friends. _

Would it be better to stand aside?

Would Yukari fight her again?

Mitsuru had needed a Persona to escape the wreckage of the mansion. Mitsuru no longer had her Persona.

Aigis closed her eyes and stopped waiting for Yukari to come.

* * *

_3.25.16_

"Hi, Mother? It's me."

"Are you on your way home?"

"I-"

"Yuki-chan, your two hours are up in...five minutes. I'll forgive you for being late as long as you start back right now."

"Well, you see-"

"Yu. Ki. Ko."

"It's just - we - we're in the middle of a really big discussion and-"

"I don't care. You can talk to your friends on the phone. _If_ I say you can."

"But I... I really need to stay just a bit longer."

"Just what do you think is more important than obeying your mother?"

"Nothing! That is, I-"

"Who is that talking in the background?"

"Please, Mother, just a little longer-"

"Is that Chie-chan? Why is she telling you to 'just hang up'? I don't approve of that."

"Chie, no, I can't just hang up - I'm sorry, Mother, it's really important what we're talking about."

"I doubt the gossip of a bunch of children amounts to much. Now start back home or you aren't leaving the front desk for six months."

"I - Mother - I - I - here's Kanji-kun, he wants to talk to you."

"What the - Yukiko? Yukiko!"

"Uh, hi, Mrs. Amagi."

"Hello, Kanji-kun, how are you? How's your mother?"

"Fine."

"Good, good, _put Yukiko back on the phone right now_."

"You see...uh, we really need Yukiko-senpai for our planning session."

"What are you planning?"

"...Nothin'. Nothin' important."

"But Yukiko said-"

"Anyway, we promise to have her home ASAP. It won't be...too long. And like we said, it's important."

"But you just said-"

"So we - pipe down, Chie - we're just gonna, you know, get her home when we can. Okay?"

"Wait, tell me what you're all-"

"Whoa, Chie!"

"Huh, Kanji-kun, are you-? Chie-chan? Put Kanji back on-"

"Hi Mrs. Amagi we gotta go now we'll talk later don't worry everything's fine."

And then she just hung up.

* * *

_3.25.16_

"You are Teddie?"

Teddie, caught mid-yawn (he still felt sleepy from his time in Elysion), swallowed the yawn and turned around. He was used to strangers knowing his name. Word usually got around about Teddie, and he was always happy to close the gaps in people's knowledge. "That's right. Teddie, King of the TV World and 'Miss' Yasogami 2011."

Aigis had appeared subdued, but at this response, her eyebrows lifted and she tipped her head to one side. "You are not like the others. You are a Shadow."

That was something they never said to Teddie. _You're cute_, _You're drunk_ - _You're a frea_k sometimes, which he could take in stride if he managed not to dwell on it. _You are a Shadow. _If any other criticism was a pat on the head, this was a punch between the eyes. His friends, consciously or not, softened it with _You're not so different from us, we're all screwed up_. Only his Shadow put it so bluntly.

_His Shadow_. _You are a Shadow_. Only he, Teddie, put it so bluntly.

They were standing at the far end of the dining room, the midafternoon light slanting steeply through the windows, throwing the two of them into semi-darkness. He couldn't read her expression very well. "That's right," he said with less energy, a sudden stiffness to his shoulders. "I'm a Shadow."

Aigis looked him up and down, light flickering across her eyelids. "I am not like the others either," she said presently. "I am a machine." She half turned, and he could see that she was frowning, though not hard. "I was not supposed to have a soul either."

Teddie blinked. He didn't think of turning on the charm, much less the sparkles. He didn't even think of her as a pretty girl, though she was, extremely. He just stared. Then he broke into a grin. "That's amazing!" She didn't answer, and maybe he should've been more thoughtful, but he couldn't help it. "Can I call you Ai-chan?"

She looked doubtful, her pupils contracting as she studied him, but the frown tightened into something like a smile. With the soft whirring of gears, she extended her hand. "Teddie-kun."

Teddie gave her hand a jaunty shake. "I think we have an edge on those humans," he went on. "They take too much for granted. We really appreciate our Personas. How long did you have to wait for your Persona to come?"

"I was made with it."

"...Oh." Teddie slumped. A Persona ready made? That sounded like the opposite of a Shadow.

"But I was not made with free will."

"Oh." Teddie straightened. She was only a little taller than he was. As he studied her, he realized that she had blue pupils, blue as his own. And the words gushed back out again. "Now that sounds rough. Maybe even worse than a gigantic nihilistic yellow-eyed broken-skull bear."

"We appreciate our Personas because we had to struggle for our identities," Aigis said in a matter of fact way a human would have second-guessed. "Perhaps we have more to lose than the others."

"I don't know about that." Teddie squared his shoulders, then imitated Kanji, bending his arm and brandishing the best excuse he had for a bicep. "I just know we gotta make sure they don't screw up. We're the only ones with steady heads here."

Aigis watched him in silence, as though processing the swift, overlapping currents of his moods. After a moment, she nodded, eyes curving with pleasure.

* * *

_3.25.16_

Naoto checked her watch. She had about ten minutes.

She came down the main staircase at a half-run, the familiar portraits and bookshelves bouncing in her peripheries. She could see the sun setting through the open front doors, striking glares off the windows of the waiting cars. Iori's and Aigis' teams had already left earlier that afternoon. Souji's group would leave more than an hour after she herself departed.

She found Souji and Yosuke sitting on the front steps, Yosuke idly tossing a knife as they talked. Rise came up from chatting with one of the drivers to crouch next to Souji, saying something that elicited a laugh from both boys. Kanji paced in the driveway, away from the cars, kicking gravel.

Naoto paused next to Rise. "Are you ready?"

"Yup." Rise shot a glance at Souji, as if gauging his reaction, then sighed. "Back into danger, huh? After this, I won't be afraid to do my own stunts."

"Leave the stunts to the others," Yosuke said. "You just watch out for enemies."

"You know, I kinda wish sometimes that Kanzeon wasn't just a lookout," Rise confessed. "You all put yourselves on the line while I hang back and watch."

"You've saved our bacon more than once," Souji told her. "We need a pair of eyes outside the fight. It's how we know what's going on."

"Yeah. But still - maybe I could get Kanzeon to spear enemies on her satellites." She looked around at her friends. "What do you think?"

"Sheesh," said Yosuke. "Have you been hanging around Chie or something?"

Rise sniffed dramatically. "You're so mean."

"We'll go as soon as everyone's ready," Naoto said, throwing a wary look at the cars. She wasn't sure how ready she was to take command of this team. Thrusting that thought aside, she continued down the stairs, her gaze falling on Kanji. She hesitated before crossing to where he stood. There was no need to be cold to him.

He was glowering by the time she reached him. "I don't like this."

"I don't either," she said. "And I doubt Sanada's thrilled. But we both want to keep an eye on each other."

"Or he wants a clear shot at your back," Kanji said. "He tried to kill you once."

"What is the point of going over this again? We've argued it out, none of us are comfortable with it, but we're going ahead anyway. Besides," she amended, softening her tone, "his hesitation in killing Kirijo is understandable. They were engaged; they've been friends for years."

"He tried to protect her," Kanji said. "What makes you think he's going to be able to kill her next time?"

Naoto shook her head. "I can only trust in his assurance that he will."

"But you don't," Kanji argued. "Don't look away either. You're going into this expecting you'll hafta take Sanada down."

She glared up, briefly. "Leave my plans and motives to me, Kanji. I trust Sanada enough to go with him."

"Just so he can't do anything you won't see. And-" He turned away and paced. "Dammit, for a kid genius, you're an idiot. You know that?" Before she could answer - "Next time he comes up against Kirijo, he's gonna protect her again. He's in love with her! What d'you expect him to do, punch her through the face?"

"You'd be surprised what you can make yourself do."

"I'm surprised you can say that! Stop trying to sound tough."

At some point, she wasn't sure when, she'd formed her left hand into a fist. "You too? First Rise starts, and now you want me to change too?" She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but this is how I am."

"Yeah," he said. "That's how you get, bull-headed and cocky and sure you have to do everything on your own. When you're scared."

Naoto looked down, biting her lower lip, forcing her outburst to stay inside. _Tantrums are useless,_ she scolded herself. She could almost hear her Shadow telling her that she was condescending to herself. Or was she condescending to Kanji? It was hard to know, for everything that he'd said, she'd already told herself. And forcibly pushed away. She finally drew breath, shaky. "I didn't think _you_ would try to change me. I was happy thinking there was someone who didn't mind me the way I am."

Lifting her eyes, she saw that Kanji was still facing away, rolling one of his rings between two fingers. "When I act like an asshole, you tell me to shut up."

"I'm sure I've never-"

"Well, you tell me to calm down and think things through. And I - was trying to return the favor."

Naoto put her hand to her forehead. "I apologize." He shrugged. "I do believe I will be safe," she went on, allowing herself to speak more naturally. "I believe Sanada feels he owes it to himself to stop Kirijo. I believe he'll be able to fight her when the time comes."

Kanji was already shaking his head. "Don't bet on it." He glanced back, then away. "He's cracked once under pressure. Don't rely on him."

_I don't rely on anyone, _Naoto would have said had Kanji not already talked her down from her unbreakable façade. She searched for a more honest answer. "I'll be careful." She heard a car door open. Turning, she saw that Grampa and Sanada were standing at one of the cars, the driver having opened the door for Rise. Naoto stood awkwardly a moment, then touched the brim of her hat as a goodbye, though Kanji couldn't see it, then walked away. She heard Kanji turn around, but she didn't glance back as she approached the car, watching the narrow-eyed look Sanada gave her. Grampa tapped her shoulder before she slid in. She looked up, expecting to see worry in his face. All he did was nod and step quickly away.


	29. Chapter 29

29.

_3.25.16_

"Never been to this part of the country before," Junpei remarked, looking out the train window at the rolling green hills, the looping curves of a long river. "Pretty pulchritudinous." He drummed his fingers against the glass. "Not that I think you use that word for scenery, but...y'know..."

"I hope nothing unexpected happens," Fuuka said, bypassing any attempt at small talk. She glanced around the train and sighed. "I wish my eyes were as good as Juno's. I can't help feeling there are ghosts all around us."

"What d'you think?" Junpei asked after a moment. "Do you have some sixth sense about them now?"

She shook her head. "Without Juno, they just seem like ordinary humans."

"Did any of them ever say anything about this Elysion?"

"No."

"Damn." Junpei leaned back in his seat and drummed his fingers on his knees. "What's senpai thinking?"

"Which one?" Fuuka asked hesitantly, chafing her arm. "Akihiko or Mitsuru?"

"Mitsuru," Junpei said, some annoyance in his voice. "She was always the smart one, even steadier than Akihiko."

"She still fought us."

"Yeah, but I'm not saying she went crazy like Yukari," Junpei argued. "Left to her own, I think she would've thought twice about undoing the past. But that was about Yukari. Yukari had stood by her when she was at her lowest, so Mitsuru had promised herself..." He trailed off and shook his head. "If she's really trying to free Minato, is it for... Dammit, Yukari," he muttered, looking out the window, not meeting Fuuka's eyes. "We all want to see him again. But - you can't just-" He closed his eyes.

"Junpei-kun," Fuuka said.

"When I think of him, stuck there, protecting us without anyone knowing - He was only seventeen! All the things he could've been by now, but-"

"He hasn't wasted his life-"

"No, but what kind of life is it?" He shook his head again. "But then I think, okay, what're we supposed to do, rip him off that wall? Then what? How could he go back to being a normal person after that?"

"Does he even want to?" Fuuka asked softly. "It was all his choice. I don't think we should second-guess that."

"In any case," Junpei said, doing his best to box away the issue, "is Yasoinaba the next stop?" He leaned over the aisle to see. "Almost there."

Within five minutes, the train had halted and the two of them stepped out into Yasoinaba Station. Junpei nabbed a map from a kiosk, and they turned it every which way until they'd found the Junes department store.

"It sounds crazy," Junpei said as they started off. "But all we gotta do is see if it'll work."

"And hope we won't be seen," Fuuka added.

"I'm just glad they didn't ask us to try going through a TV. You'll keep a lookout," Junpei planned, though they were still far from the megastore. "I'll evoke. Then, if a gate opens, I'll go through, then be back in a second." He turned to Fuuka. "Do you think it'll work?"

"Why do you ask me? I have no idea." She sounded scared, her voice climbing.

So Junpei kept trying to joke, because if he was joking, it couldn't be too bad. Right. "Because you were the honor student, Fuuka-chan."

Fuuka sighed, bowing her head. "I...don't think so. The 'TV World' appears to have no direct link to Tartarus. The only commonality is that both worlds fostered Personas." She pursed her lips. "That first TV is also gone, but with so much crossing between the worlds in that department... I don't think it likely, but it _may_ be enough to open a gate to another realm of Personas. Which...which may be another way to strike at Mitsuru." Fuuka flinched at her own words, quickly amending: "To find her."

"That's a better answer than I got," Junpei said. "Let's go."

* * *

_3.25.16_

"It sounds as though we just missed each other. Yukari-chan and I were visiting with Mitsuru then. On Yakushima." With the spontaneity that still surprised them, Aigis looked away, eyes hooding sadly.

"Well, we really liked Port Island," Chie said quickly, trying to ease Aigis' mood. She glanced around, trying to orient herself, but she remembered little of their class trip to the city. At least, she remembered little of just walking down the streets. Nothing looked familiar. "What we saw of it. Um, a school and a factory. And a club. And a..."

"-lo-o-o-ve hotel," Teddie finished, sidling up to Yukiko. She glared, looking fiercer than a girl in a white floral skirt ought to.

Aigis didn't perk up at their words. She closed her eyes and, after a moment, seemed to draw on her own reserve of strength, for she straightened and looked forward again. "We're almost there." Dressed in a high-necked green gown and low boots, the automaton drew no attention as she led them through the crowded streets of Port Island, though Teddie turned more than a few heads.

"It must've been cool to go to school here in the city," Chie went on. "Did you like it? I mean, being a...you know." She didn't drop the word _robot_ out in the open.

"It was informative," Aigis replied. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. "I didn't perform well in class, but I liked being with my friends too much to leave."

"Hm," Teddie said, winking at a passing American tourist, "maybe I should've tried school. I wonder if I can just slip into a few college classes? But I've never taken a test before! What if I choke and fail the course?"

"Hey, it never killed me," Chie said bleakly.

"This dorm must be saturated with power." Realizing everyone had glanced at her, Yukiko blushed and went on. "I - I mean, it was your base during the Dark Hour, you said. And the Abyss of Time opened up in it." She shivered. "I'm not sure I could sleep there at night."

"I have too many fond memories to be afraid," Aigis said. She touched her chest. "She feels close to me right now."

The three others exchanged looks, but something in Aigis' demeanor kept them from questioning her. They walked in silence until Aigis stopped at the front steps of a high narrow building. She tipped her head back, looking all the way to its uppermost windows, then ascended the stairs.

"Do you think it'll be unlocked?" Chie asked, bouncing up behind her.

"Mitsuru still owns it," Aigis said, placing her hand on the door latch. "She would never give it up." Even with her fingers around the grip, she didn't open the door. "If it's open...if it's unlocked, does that mean she expects us to come here?"

Chie frowned unhappily. "You're the one who knows this Mitsuru Kirijo. I don't know if that would be good or bad."

"If it opens," Teddie said, "I think it's a challenge."

Aigis glanced sidelong at him. "I've never understood why humans challenge." She pushed the latch. The door opened silently. Aigis stepped into the interior, which was shadowy in the lowering light, and flicked on a lamp. "Please, come in."

They filed in after her, finding themselves in a spacious, though dim, lounge. The hallway continued beyond it, leading up a long flight of stairs. "Wow, nice," Chie said. "Is that a_ kitchen_ back there?"

"I don't like the carpet," Yukiko remarked softly. "The more I look at it, the more my eyes hurt." The effect was lessened as Teddie closed the door, leaving only the lamp to light their way.

"I guess we should find an outlet and try evoking," Chie suggested.

Gunfire blasted through the lounge. Chie instinctively dropped to one knee, watching as Aigis charged towards the stairway, where Chie could only see the swirl of pink fabric. Then she kicked off the ground, summoned her card, and swiped it with her heel. Even as Suzuka Gongen surged over her, laser naginata windmilling, Chie came at the stairs at a run, shoving away all thoughts of fear.

Light blinded her. A Persona, the winged female scorpion, lashed out at Aigis, almost striking her with her tail. _"Psyche!"_ Tiers of red and white blossomed out of Aigis, cloth rippling around a wire apparatus that made Chie think of Himiko. There was a blast of wind, and then Kampe, skirts flying, was thrown back up the staircase. The guns on one hand remained locked on Aigis, and she trained her left hand on Chie.

One swing from Suzuka Gongen flipped her up into the air. Maybe she wasn't as perfectly made as Aigis, or maybe she was programmed differently, but Kampe seemed to know no fear. She crashed against the stair treads and commenced shooting even as Aigis launched a different Persona, a chariot-like woman, at her. Chie hesitated at the foot of the stairs; her kicks would tip her off balance and send her toppling if she attempted to fight on such an incline. As she evoked again, Teddie dashed past her. He wasn't in his bear suit, but he had his claw on, each long razor extended.

The Persona Kampe manifested a second time, barreling down the stairway, shoving Aigis and Teddie. They tumbled down the stairs, the Persona's long scorpion tail swinging in from the side. Chie only realized she had to dodge at the last moment. She threw herself against the wall, hitting a cabinet, its edge cutting into her back. The barbed tail flicked across her hip, so sharp and quick she didn't feel it. She rolled to her knees, then stood. Aigis was already running up the stairway again, firing relentlessly, a silver figure with a strange stringed instrument flying above her. A bullet flashed across Aigis' face, leaving a dark streak on her too perfect skin. Hesitating only a heartbeat, Chie left the cover of the cabinet, evoking. Suzuka Gongen shot forward. Kampe's Persona returned with a blow so fierce, Chie felt it in her own body, rattling her down to one knee. As she blinked, lights popping in her eyes, she saw Aigis backing down the stairway. Her left leg was shaking, but she was still bracing herself for another assault. Teddie stood halfway between Aigis and Chie, holding his bleeding right arm close to his body.

_Yukiko?_

Chie couldn't turn. She couldn't look away from Kampe. The robot would attack at the slightest weakness. She wanted to turn and see what was behind her, and she wanted to keep facing forward, so that she still had a chance to hope.

"Ai...gis." Kampe staggered, then squared herself, legs splayed for balance. "You are turning on your friends."

"You are not my friend," Aigis said, raising her gun to eye level.

"Mitsuru Kirijo said you were one of her dearest." There was no emotion in Kampe's face, much less her words. They were lines in a script. Chie could hear it, but could Aigis? "You struck your friends as a pawn of Shuji Ikutsuki. You were mindless. Haven't you changed?"

Aigis fired. Kampe's visor flashed down, deflecting the bullet, which buried itself in the wall. "I didn't strike my friends then," Aigis said. "I struck my friends in the Abyss of Time. As my own choice. Mitsuru..." Her voice shook, then steadied. "Mitsuru knows that."

"Mitsuru Kirijo does not want you dead," Kampe said. "Do not force me to subdue you."

"Why doesn't she want us dead?" Chie blinked, amazed she'd spoken. The question had arisen naturally in her mind, but she hadn't expected to say it aloud. She glanced at Aigis, but the robot made no move to strike Kampe down before she could answer.

Kampe's face was hidden behind her visor, but it made her no more impassive than usual. "That information is not pertinent to my orders. I do not know."

"What _are _your orders?" Chie tried. Naoto had deflected those other robots with unexpected questions. Maybe if they responded differently, didn't try to fight, Kampe wouldn't know what to do?

"To take you to Elysion," Kampe said. "Will you come?"

"No," Aigis said even as Chie was trying to decide whether or not obeying would be a clever move. "Not with you."

Chie felt a warmth on her face. Light pulsed behind Kampe, flaring into a bright aureole.

"You evoked," Kampe said. "And I have already opened the door to Elysion."

* * *

_3.25.16_

Naoto lay with her back rammed up against Akihiko Sanada's shoulder blades. She'd curled herself as tight as possible, but the crown of her head was still pressed against the small of Rise's spine. A beach tote full of sandy towels and blankets lay across her waist, but at least she, unlike Sanada, didn't have the umbrella in her face. And at least the roads on Yakushima were good, so they didn't bounce too badly. Her contact - her grandfather's acquaintance rather, who was being paid quite a bit to act like a harmless islander - kept up every appearance of nonchalance, blasting old American songs from the 70's (Naoto guessed they were the Beach Boys, but that wasn't her area of expertise) throughout the vehicle. The car had speakers in the trunk, and the music blared above her. She didn't envy Rise, whose head was jammed closest to the speakers.

The car pulled to a halt, rocking them, but the engine still hummed. They must be at the gate. Naoto opened her eyes, shifting so that her right hand lay across her pocket, fingers spread over the pistol. There was no reason for the security guards to check the trunk. It was routine - stop the car, get the pass code, let the car through. And their contact had assured them she had the pass code. Naoto could feel Sanada holding his breath, and the back of Rise's shirt was damp.

The car lurched into motion again. Naoto closed her eyes with relief, though they were by no means in the clear. They all slid as the car made a sharp left turn, rumbled down a long stretch, pulled to a stop, then was shut off. The car jostled as their contact got out of the front seat, and Naoto could hear her walking around the car, probably checking for surveillance. With a _clunk_, the trunk was opened. They clambered out, stretching, glancing around. Their contact, whom Grampa had only called Aimi, was a nondescript middle-aged woman, and even Naoto didn't know what her connection to Grampa was. But she worked as a social coordinator for one of the families who lived in Yakushima's gated community.

_If only I'd known about her a few days ago._ No point brooding on regrets.

"Get moving," Aimi said. She'd parked in a narrow alley between a mansion's wall and a tool shed the owners evidently felt was too unsightly to be within the mansion's grounds. "And get back before tomorrow. I can't wait forever."

Naoto didn't respond to that. If they managed to reenter Elysion, even if they only stayed for a moment to check their location (as was their intention), they had no way of knowing how much time would elapse. "Thank you for all you've done." But the best thanks would be to get out of there quickly, which they did. They didn't skulk once they were clear of that mansion, walking openly down main street. The sun had set, the streets hazy with a dense cloud cover obscuring the moon.

"Let's hope the police really are gone," Rise said.

"Kirijo didn't leave many clues for them to investigate," Naoto said, just as Sanada said, "They're too busy looking for Mitsuru." The two of them glanced at each other but made no further comment.

The hill where the Kirijo mansion had stood was nothing but a ragged, fallen silhouette, banded by yellow police tape. Rise ducked in the shadow of the neighboring manor's wall to summon Kanzeon. "Nothing," she said after a moment. "There's us, and then a bunch of people in the houses, and a few more on the beach. No one inside the tape. I guess," she continued as they ducked under the tape, its length crackling in the wind, "this isn't any sort of violation for you two. But I'm not a policeman." Naoto could hear the edge of a laugh in her voice, mostly nerves. "I once had a cameo as a bank robbery hostage in a soap opera. Is that good enough?"

"Quiet down," said Sanada.

They picked their way around the outskirts of the rubble. In the half-light, Naoto couldn't make out many details. She thought she saw a lampstand, warped by heat, and there were pools of congealed glass. There was no point in looking for an electrical outlet or even trying to guess where one had originally been. Their only hope was to see if whatever strange property that controlled the outlets rested over the entire structure.

Naoto held her hand out, palm up. There was a blue flicker and her card appeared.

A faint light shimmered across the darkness.

"Okay," Sanada said. He glanced at the two girls. "I'll go first?"

In a way, it would have made sense to send Rise in, so she could run a scan. But she also was unable to defend herself in case Kirijo's people were waiting. Naoto didn't want to let Sanada out of her sight, but she wouldn't leave him alone with Rise, free to use her as a hostage. "We'll be right after you." She drew her gun as Sanada stepped into the light, its brilliance growing as it made contact with his body. Even as he vanished, Naoto was striding after him. As the light intensified, she felt Rise catch hold of her wrist and mutter a word she usually associated with Kanji.

She couldn't see anything, but she felt herself step into long grass, smelled the asphodels, squinted as a warm breeze pushed against her face. Then the light diffused and she saw Sanada backing up, putting his Evoker to his head. Then she looked past him, angled her pistol above his right shoulder, and fired.

* * *

_3.25.16_

Yosuke stared down at his phone and bit his lower lip. He took a deep breath, then lifted the phone to his ear. "...Hey? Yeah, Kaori-chan, we're fine... Oh, we just decided to stay longer at Naoto's. Look, I said my friends are needy - they're just really emotionally dependent on me and Souji, that's all. No, I'm not BSing you. _Please._ Hey, I would love to get away. Yeah! Spending time listening to Kanji and Souji mope or spending time with you? It's no contest. Huh? Ah, Teddie? No. No, he doesn't have a girlfriend, and not to sound whiny, but I'm a little annoyed you asked that just now. Yeah. Okay, you can stop laughing. I'll see you tomorrow. I should be able to. They can't keep me too much longer. Just too irresistible I am." As he talked, his tone had grown easier, but there was still a worry line between his eyes, and he rubbed it several times, either because his head hurt or he was unconsciously trying to smooth his features into nonchalance. Maybe it would've been easier if Souji and Kanji hadn't been watching him so intently, but they didn't let manners get in the way of eavesdropping.

"So yeah, we'll talk more later. Yeah...I'll tell Teddie you said hi." He flipped the phone closed and glared at his compatriots. "Your lives so pathetic and lonely you have to sit there and absorb mine vicariously?"

"Clingy girlfriend calling you when you're on a secret supernatural mission and asking why she's hardly seen you in a week," Souji said. "I'll pass on absorbing that."

Yosuke sighed and drooped back in his train seat; they were all getting sick of trains, and no doubt the trains were fed up with them. "Gentlemen," he said after a moment, "heed my advice. Stay. Single. Damn, even thinking about explaining this is giving me a headache. It's like every set of double X chromosones carries a nagging gene." He heeled his forehead. "Sometimes I think Kanji's got the right idea."

"Which idea?" Kanji asked. "The one where I turn your face inside out, or the one where I put you through the window?"

"Always so defensive," Yosuke muttered. "Anyway, I just hope we don't run into her. If she sees me after I said I was at Naoto's..."

"Could be worse," Souji said. "At least you're just with us. Kanji and I could be girls. Really hot girls. Though," he went on, "I admit I'm a pretty delicious cross-dresser."

"You know, your jokes really aren't that funny. It's better if you don't even try."

Perhaps still fearing a run-in with his beloved, Yosuke led them through the train station, across the dark campus and down the streets at a half run. By the time The Dorm was in sight, a cold rain had begun to fall, soaking them all through. None of them went for towels after they stepped in.

"Okay," Souji said, "we've seen where the outlet in Teddie's room goes, and we've got three more to try. How do we want to do this? Each take one, or all go in together?"

"Better stick together," Yosuke said, shoulders bracing, as if expecting someone to call him a wuss. "Just easier to keep track of everyone, you know?"

Kanji shrugged. "Let's try the one in here." They trooped over to the wall socket, Kanji putting the floor lamp to one side.

"Guys," Yosuke said.

"What?" Kanji asked.

"It may be a bit late in the game to ask, but...Why electrical outlets?"

They looked at each other.

"I mean," Yosuke went on, "isn't it kind of random? Doesn't it make as much sense as...going through a microwave? Or a space heater? Or anything?"

"It's a power source," Souji said after a moment, Izanagi's card appearing in his hand. "It makes more sense than a television."


	30. Chapter 30

30.

_3.25.16_

Despite their mission ending in failure, Junpei and Fuuka were more philosophical than disappointed as their car pulled up in front of the Shirogane estate. It had been a long shot to start with, entering Elysion via Junes' electronics department. This had only been a scouting mission, a way to see which routes were viable. Perhaps the others teams had had more luck at The Dorm, Port Island and Yakushima. In the morning, once all the teams had returned, they'd decide their next course of action...

...if they weren't trying to recuperate from Akihiko and the Shirogane kid blasting each other... No, no, Akihiko wasn't out to kill the kid. And she seemed ready to cooperate. This would work.

Shirogane, it transpired, was not able to give them his full attention when Junpei and Fuuka walked into his study. He was at his desk, phone to his ear, leaning forward earnestly. Though the person he was speaking to couldn't see it, he'd adopted a conciliating smile. "I quite understand, Mrs. Amagi." He sighed. "We do all we can, but once they're grown, it's in their hands whether or not they'll be respectful and obedient. Of _course_. The moment Naoto-kun brings her back, I'll tell her to go home. I'm sure she's safe. She's a very responsible girl, Mrs. Amagi, just...sidetracked, it seems." He nodded. "Indeed. Good night, Mrs. Amagi." Placing the phone back on its cradle, he glanced at the wall clock (five minutes to ten), then his visitors. "I gather from your faces you were not successful."

"Nah, but that was pretty much expected." Junpei made for one of the chairs, then thought better of it. They may be working together, but some formality seemed prudent. "Any word from the others?"

"No." Shirogane tapped his fingertips together. "They all should have arrived at their destinations. I'm surprised none have called me to tell me if it worked."

_Calling,_ Junpei thought to himself. Yeah, that would've been smart.

"That could mean they've been captured," Fuuka said, worrying the edge of one sleeve. "Or they're inside Elysion and can't find their way out."

"That shouldn't be a problem with Risette, she can scan," Junpei said. "As for the others..."

"Teddie has some scanning capability," Shirogane said, betraying tension only around the eyes and mouth. "As for Seta's group, they were heading to the area they knew best. If indeed the other outlets in their home lead to correspondingly close locations in Elysion."

"More stuff we can't assume." Junpei ended on a sigh. "Should we try calling?"

"I already have," Shirogane said. "No answers to any of them."

"Damn." Junpei glanced at Fuuka. "Do you think they managed to get in?"

"And not come out?" Fuuka asked. "I'm not sure what to hope for."

* * *

_3.25.16_

It was impossible to get a sight-line in this maze of poplars.

Aigis continued at a run; if she stopped and tried to regain her bearings, Kampe would get all too easily away. After drawing her into the strange light, the gate to Elysion, the other robot had fled, flickering away through the dense forest. Aigis didn't look back even to see if her companions had followed. She had to keep running. Kampe was inferior; as strong as she was, she couldn't compete with Aigis' three Personas. If she could be cornered -

Aigis sent Orpheus forward, trying to outpace Kampe. But Orpheus diminished without striking. Aigis' strides reflexively slowed and shortened, and she slid to a halt, damaged left leg still trembling. The tall poplars were silent around her. Craning her neck back, she could see patches of golden sky. She clenched her left fist. If she hadn't been a robot, she would have punched something, sworn in frustration. Instead, she pivoted and ran back the way she'd come. No luck, pursuing Kampe had been a waste. She had to regroup with the others, figure out how to strike back.

She didn't see Kampe come from behind.

She turned as she crashed to the ground, Kampe's foot in her face. Aigis' mechanized body didn't register pain, but she felt her frame shake, saw lights explode as Kampe drilled a bullet into her right eye. She craned her neck around, sighting from the left, bringing her gun around to shoot at Kampe's chest. Kampe leapt back, then kicked Aigis as she struggled to rise. Aigis faltered, summoning Athena.

Kampe bent under the attack, shot forward and landed another kick, her heel striking beneath Aigis' left jaw. Aigis felt some support in her structure give way, and as she struggled to stand, her head lolled. All was imprecision. She tried to run diagnostics, but she couldn't concentrate - like a human. Kampe's entire body trembled from Athena's last blow, but her strikes hardly slowed, hardly hesitated. One kick crushed the barrel of Aigis' gun. Gritting her teeth, Aigis focused all her being toward Athena, coming at Kampe with a barrage of hits.

Kampe staggered, almost fell, then came at an unsteady run. Aigis lunged forward to meet her, and her left leg, already weak, shattered.

In a whirl of light and color, spinning motion and disjointed thoughts, Aigis crashed to the ground, thrown against one of the trees by the force of Kampe's kick. Hitting the tree had dislodged some mechanism in her remaining eye, her world reduced to shifting flares of color that corresponded to nothing in her surroundings, her head filled with a sound between static and a high mechanical whine. She flexed the fingers of her left hand, but they were moving too slowly. Something was disconnected. She reached within herself, shouting for Athena.

Kampe struck, and Aigis didn't live to see if Athena had time to avenge her.

* * *

_3.25.16_

Artemisia felt the wind shift across her. As still as her mind was, she somehow knew that one of her companions had departed, her soul intact and bypassing the prison of Elysion. Artemisia's sightless eyes did not perceive the torn white petals that fluttered past her face.

* * *

_3.25.16_

_"Invidia!"_

Lightning arced down. Naoto closed her eyes, trying to contain the pain, not wanting to see Sanada simply shrug the blow off. As she squinted, she saw Sanada's Persona, Caesar, driving its sword through their assailant; the red-haired robot's body glowed from within for a moment, then she retreated a step, evoking again.

A woman, gowned in green with a serpent coiled around herself, biting her heart, manifested above the robot. Naoto just had time to evoke and cast Megidolaon before the lightning crashed down again, nearly throwing her to her knees.

"Come on, Naoto, keep it together!" Rise shouted from somewhere behind her. "You're not even weak to it. Hold back and let Sanada take the damage."

Invidia had already shown herself to be inferior to Kampe, Naoto remembered. The other robots, Argos and Andarta, had been destroyed relatively easily. But what Invidia lacked in human simulation, she made up for in power. Naoto fell to the ground, rolling to dodge as the Persona flashed over her, snake dislodging itself to aim a bite at the back of her neck. She felt the wind shift as it passed over, barely missing.

Shoving herself onto hands and knees, Naoto looked up to see Invidia attacking Sanada; Caesar's assault seemed to have interfered with her guns, because she fell on Sanada in a flurry of kicks and punches, faster than any human could block. Long blades sprang from her inner wrists, slashing across him.

Yamato Takeru dove, sword swiping, thrusting Invidia away from Sanada. As Invidia rolled to her feet, she met Caesar's sword, rammed through her chest. The robot bristled, immobile until the Persona dissipated. Then she stepped forward and met Sanada's fist.

By the time Naoto reached Sanada's side, he'd knelt on Invidia's chest, jammed her head around, her face bracketed by lightning. There was a deep grinding coming from her throat, as if she were trying to speak. Three of her limbs were limp, but her right hand twitched, still trying to evoke.

Part of Naoto hated to destroy such a complex machine, but she angled her pistol down, focusing on Invidia's right eye. "Step back, please."

There was an explosion of energy. Naoto fell back, her finger slipping free of the trigger before she could accidentally shoot. She caught herself as she tumbled to the ground and saw the Persona Invidia standing before her. Sanada was braced, Evoker already held to his head, but the Persona didn't attack, jade hair blowing in the balmy wind.

"What's going on?" Sanada said after a moment. Blood dripped from the gashes on his face.

"No clue." In the corner of her eye, Naoto saw that Rise had approached, visor down, Kanzeon floating behind. Their battle had stirred the asphodels, and long white petals drifted past her. "She...isn't going to attack. I think. She's dying."

"What's she waiting for?" Sanada asked.

"I'm going to try to..." Rise's voice trailed off. "_Kala-Nemi?_ What does that mean?"

"What?" Sanada stood shakily, wheeling on Rise. "Is the Persona talking?"

Rise didn't answer at first, head cocked. "She's trying - it's like she's replaying her orders - and - damn." Simultaneously, Invidia and Kanzeon glittered out of sight. "She's dead. What's Kala-Nemi?"

"Ken Amada's Persona." Sanada was breathing hard, harder than he had all during the fight. Swallowing, he put his Evoker to his head and pulled the trigger, casting a healing spell. The gashes paled to faint, impermanent scars. Without waiting for Naoto's permission, he cast a healing spell on her, then pocketed his Evoker, regarding the destroyed robot. His eyes were distant, but his jaw was tight. "So that's what took Ken down? Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"Could you see what happened?" Naoto asked of Rise. "It seems as though Invidia was unable to capture Amada, but if Kirijo wants the Personas intact, why did she go so far as to kill him?"

"Maybe she botched the capture. All the images Invidia sent me were really chaotic, and I don't even know if they were connected. She seemed really angry. Can a robot be angry?" Rise turned to Sanada. "I guess...does a robot have a soul?"

He was still subdued, staring off into the distance, then he shook himself. "What now? Report back?"

"It seems as though Kirijo placed Invidia here to welcome us," Naoto said. "That may argue she's close by."

Sanada didn't look surprised, only grim. "Yeah."

"I don't think we should go looking for her without help," Rise said.

"What would Kirijo expect from us? A confrontation or a withdrawal?" Naoto asked. She'd spoken rhetorically, but she found herself gazing at Sanada; she narrowed her eyes, as if bracing for a blow.

Sanada turned his Evoker over in his fingers. "All I can say is, she doesn't expect us to give up." He nodded at the robot. "That might've been a clue to tell us she's here, or it might've been here to kill us. Whichever, she knew we'd come back this way."

"I hate this," Rise said suddenly. "Everything's up to her. We can't ambush her or spy on her or anything. We probably won't find her until she wants us to."

"Let's get back to Aimi-san and off this island," Naoto said after a moment. "If Kirijo can place a guard here, she can plan what we'll do if we use this entrance. We'll go by another gate."

Sanada gave her long look, but finally nodded. Naoto ignored it. Was he annoyed she'd assumed authority? What would happen if he disagreed with her? She didn't dwell on these questions, following Rise back to the gate.

* * *

_3.25.16_

The outlet in the living room dropped them right at the edge of a cliff overlooking fields cluttered with asphodels, a dark line of forest on the horizon, and a pearly white river far below. All three boys flailed, teetering on the edge, gyrating their hips wildly to keep their balance before throwing themselves back into the gate. The landed in a pile on the living room floor.

They next tried the outlet in Yosuke's room, Souji first sticking his head through to ascertain whether or not it was safe. This led to the "graveyard" of dead Personas, though they couldn't tell how far from Artemisia they were, or even in what direction she lay. They cast around in various directions, looking for clues or landmarks. Found none and so returned to The Dorm and tried the outlet in Souji's room.

"Whoa, you keep your room clean," Kanji said, looking around with admiration.

Yosuke toed a pile of books by the outlet. "What the-? _Witch Detective?_ You still have that?"

Souji impassively kicked the stack aside, scattering books all over the floor before summoning his card. As before, the socket blazed into a tall doorway. Souji stuck his head in. Yosuke and Kanji saw his shoulders hunch, and then he quickly backed out, eyes wide.

"What?" said Yosuke. "What'd you see?"

Souji swallowed. "Stick your heads in. Fast."

Glancing at each other, Yosuke and Kanji stepped forward and did as directed. And then stepped back. Fast.

"The hell was that?" Yosuke breathed.

"Shit!" said Kanji. "It was a - a scythe thing? You know, like with the Grim Reaper?"

"Dude, if that was a scythe, it was as big as a house!" Yosuke turned to Souji. "We all saw the same thing, right? A big swinging sharp thing?"

"A scythe, yeah." Sweat beaded on Souji's forehead, either from nerves or the unbearable heat the gate had led to. "Swinging from something. And then the fire."

"Oh yeah, the fire," Yosuke said sarcastically. "Didn't notice _that_."

"What was that scythe made of?" Kanji asked.

"Argh!" Yosuke clutched his hair. "Will you get off the Arts and Crafts aspect of the thing? It's a frigging huge scythe! Who cares what it's made of?"

"I just _thought_," Kanji said, giving Yosuke a narrow glare, "it didn't look like normal metal. I thought it might be another Persona or something."

"That's a good point," Souji said. "I didn't notice it at first, but now that you mention it...the metal did look odd."

"And sharp," Yosuke added. "Let's not forget that salient fact." He took a deep breath, calming down. "I guess this means back to the estate, huh?" He frowned. "I hope we're not the only ones who make it back."

"Give them some credit," Souji said, before this could initiate a full-out worryfest. "We're not the only ones who can take care of ourselves."

"Yeah, but we walked into Elysion and nearly fell off a cliff," Yosuke said. Looking over, he saw that Kanji was lost in thought, eyebrows angled with worry. He punched his arm. "C'mon, big guy, let's get a move on. The sooner we go, the sooner we can know what's what."


	31. Chapter 31

31.

_3.26.16_

"Are you all right?"

Rise opened her eyes. "Huh? What?"

"When you bit into your muffin, you closed your eyes." Naoto hesitated. "I thought you might be...about to pass out."

"Oh no," Rise said fervently. "I was relishing." She freed her Eggy Muffin further from its wrapping. "I almost never get to eat anything from Wild-duck Burger."

"I don't either." Naoto frowned down at her limp breakfast plate. "But I'm not regretting that."

Sanada leaned over his large cup of coffee and didn't contribute to the conversation, kneading the skin between his eyes. He'd been quiet all during the ferry ride late last night - early this morning, rather. It would've been nice to find a place to sleep, but Naoto and Sanada agreed getting back to the estate was more important. After calling to report to Grampa (who, Naoto noted with some guilt, was still awake, waiting to hear from her), they caught the first train they could find. Which left them with a slight lull between trains and time for breakfast.

Naoto set aside her soggy plate and pulled out her phone again. Iori's team had returned to the estate safely, but last she'd heard, the others remained incommunicado. She tried Chie's phone, then Yukiko's, then even Teddie's, though he tended not answer if he was even carrying the phone at all. No response. That could mean a lot of things, Naoto reminded herself. That could be innocuous.

Souji's team then? She paused, wondering which of them she should call. _Souji, of course._ Shaking her head at herself, she set the phone to her ear, watching as Rise happily opened her bag of Extra Buttery Waffle Fries.

She sighed with relief once she heard Souji's voice - some of them, at least, were also safe. "Naoto-kun?" She could hear Yosuke and Kanji talking in the background, then cut off.

"It sounds like you three made it through safe," Naoto said. "Where did the gates go?"

"Living room led off a cliff, Yosuke's room landed us in the Persona graveyard. My room..." He trailed off for a moment. "My room leads into an inferno with an enormous scythe surrounded by flames."

The word _scythe_ clicked in Naoto's mind - in her research, she'd read something about a scythe. "I'm...assuming you didn't linger."

"You would have bawled us out if we had," Souji said, some wryness in his voice.

"Are all of them okay?" Rise asked. Naoto nodded, listening as Souji went on.

"We're still at The Dorm, getting some breakfast. You three all right? No...problems?"

"We got through a gate and met another of Kirijo's automata," Naoto said, lowering her voice. "Dispatched it. Its Persona tried to communicate with Rise before it died, and we think it's the one who murdered Ken Amada." She noticed Sanada shred the edge of his napkin, not nervously, not grimly, just deliberately.

Souji sighed. "Sounds like Kirijo was waiting for you." She could hear Kanji say something in the background, then Souji shift away from the phone, voice muted. "They're all fine." Then Souji was speaking to her again: "Where did the gate lead? I mean, what did the area look like?"

Naoto thought back. It had been hard to take in scenery while fighting for her life. "It was another field, I remember there were flowers. I think there might have been trees off in the distance."

"Yeah," Rise said, catching the thread of their conversation. "Here, hand it over a sec. Senpai? Yeah, while they were fighting, I did my scans. There was a forest a little more than a kilometer away, more fields on the other side. I think there might've been a river too, but it was getting beyond my range." Rise listened a moment, then passed the phone back.

"It sounds like we might've seen that area from the cliffs," Souji was saying. "I guess that means the gates' locations don't correspond to locations in our world."

"Like Elysion's chronology. It differs. So it seems that..." Naoto frowned. "You're sure it was a scythe?"

"Uh - yeah. From what we could tell. We didn't stick around and study it."

"I'll call you back in a second." Naoto ended the call, then went online, ignoring Rise's questions. The word _chronology_ had also clicked in her mind. After a moment's thought, she typed in _Kronos_.

* * *

_3.26.16_

_It wouldn't be so bad,_ she told herself again that morning. The sky was brightening, the streets growing more crowded, but she hardly saw the people she passed. She remembered all the times Mitsuru had decried her grandfather's work, the experiments that had unleashed Shadows and the Dark Hour into the world. Personas were the children of that work. They were as unnatural as Shadows.

_It wouldn't be so bad. You never even realized there was something different about the ghosts, not until you were told they were different._

But she hadn't known the ghosts before they were altered. She'd known Mitsuru, and she'd seen the change quickly in her friend, though she hadn't guessed its cause.

_He'd be changed too. We'd all be different. He gave up much more than a Persona. It's only fair. _Her steps sped up, unsteady for a moment.

_But no one would die. And he'd finally have a chance to live again. If I stood by and left him to suffer, what kind of monster would I be?_

_He'd do the same for me.

* * *

_

_3.26.16_

Naoto had called again in a little less than a minute, and Yosuke and Kanji watched Souji's face as he listened to whatever she was saying - some explanation, knowing Naoto. His eyebrows arched, then he frowned and nodded. "Okay," he said after a moment. "But do you really think it's a god? ...Good point. We'll see what we can dig up." He flipped the phone shut.

"Tell me you didn't say 'god ' there," Yosuke said.

Kanji drummed his fingers against his knee, mouth tight. "Hey, we already took down a god. What's one more?"

"We're not even sure it's really a god," Souji began philosophically. "I mean, the Tartarus in this world doesn't perfectly correspond to the mythology. Neither does Elysion. So even if mythology says that Kronos is the ancient father of gods, it doesn't mean that the Kronos _we_ saw is-"

"Oh, there you go with the good news," Yosuke broke in. "It's only _sort of _a god, not really a god at all. I feel better I do."

"What makes Naoto think that scythe thing is a god - or a person?" Kanji asked.

"She's not sure. But she remembered reading that some ancient writers said that Elysion was ruled by Kronos. And she did a quick search, and one of the first things she saw was that this Kronos carried a scythe made out of adamant."

"Adamant?" Kanji repeated.

"A mythological metal." Souji shrugged. "Supposed to be the hardest thing on earth."

"So you're saying that your next door neighbor is a god? I'm sorry, not a god, the_ father_ of gods. Based on what some ancient writers said?" Yosuke sighed, thoroughly disgusted. "Enough talk. We need to get back to the estate."

* * *

_3.26.16_

Chie rubbed her face, but she didn't leave the couch to see if there was any coffee in the dormitory's kitchen. Blinking carefully - her eyeballs smarted, as if both had been rolled in salt - she turned her attention back to Yukiko. Was it natural for her to be out for so many hours? Teddie had done all he could, casting Diarahan to the point where he'd had no energy left for himself and Chie had insisted he too try to get some sleep. Even if Yukiko had woken up, Chie would've told her to go back to sleep. The only person Chie didn't want sleeping was herself. But she also wanted Yukiko to wake up just for a moment, so she'd know her best friend was all right.

Suppressing a yawn, she craned her neck around to see up the stairs, where the light from Elysion's gate pulsed softly. The moment Kampe had disappeared through it, Chie had rushed back to Yukiko, finding her lying in a spray of blood, bullet wounds in her stomach and arms. All she could remember next was Teddie casting Diarahan over and over, the two of them carrying Yukiko onto the couch. Eventually, Chie had realized that Aigis must have entered Elysion, and she was a little disturbed the automaton hadn't returned. But most of her focus was on Yukiko. If Aigis was dealing with Kampe, if she wasn't rushing back in to warn of some disaster, if they had time to look after Yukiko, that was enough for Chie.

Teddie's spells had driven the bullets out of Yukiko's body, reweaving her skin. But Diarahan couldn't replenish the blood she'd lost. Chie had tried calling for an ambulance - talked to an emergency operator who'd promised one would leave immediately - and then nothing had ever come. _Does the Kirijo Group control this whole island? Dammit, she knew we'd be here!_

Her phone had been buzzing all night. Every time she checked the caller, it was Mrs. Amagi. She'd bitten her lip and hadn't answered. She knew she couldn't lie to Mrs. Amagi and tell her Yukiko was fine; but she couldn't tell her the truth either.

About then, a rational thought broke through her worry: She should've called Shirogane hours ago. "Dammit," she muttered, blinking back tears of frustration as she dialed, "I'm never going to make it as a cop." Swallowing, she set the phone to her ear. "Sh-Shirogane-san? It's Chie Satonaka. Um-" She glanced around the lounge. Teddie was curled up one the opposite couch, too pale, but at least unwounded. Yukiko's skin had been healed, but she'd lost so much blood; her face was white, stark against the bloodstains across her blouse. Chie took a deep breath. "We were found, that Kampe thing. She was waiting for us, and she wounded Yukiko, but I can't get an ambulance to come, I think Kirijo's got them under her control somehow."

"We need to get Ms. Amagi off the island," Shirogane said crisply. "I will send a car. Where is Kampe now?"

"She opened a gate to Elysion, and Aigis-san followed her through it. Teddie and I stayed behind because - dammit, we couldn't just leave Yukiko-"

"I understand. How long ago was that?"

Chie glanced at the clock. "Like seven hours ago?"

"And Ms. Amagi has been stable?"

"We cured her and...well, nothing's really changed. Is that good? She's breathing, but it's quiet." Prompted by Shirogane's questions, she proceeded to describe Yukiko's wounds and the Diarahans' exact effects on them. Once she'd finished, Shirogane remained silent for a space.

"I take it as a good sign that she hasn't worsened," he said presently. "But she still requires medical attention, and I don't know how we could explain her condition to an unprepared doctor. I will send a car to Port Island to convey you back to the estate. I believe our clinic has all the necessaries for Dr. Ishikawa to see to her."

Chie didn't have the presence of mind to be impressed. She was about to say that a car wouldn't move fast enough - but then, how would they get Yukiko onto a train in her current state? And air-lifting her was beyond even Shirogane's resources.

Chie squeezed her eyes shut, blocking off the tears, and nodded. "Right. Thanks. We'll be waiting."

Teddie stirred as she closed the phone, his movements uncharacteristically sluggish. "What's...H-how's Yuki-chan?"

"The same. I think she's okay." Chie needed a moment before she could look at him. "Shirogane-san's sending a car for us. It should be here in a couple of hours."

Teddie held his head, wincing, then stood quickly. "What about Ai-chan? Is she back?"

"Ah - no." Again belated, Chie realized the robot should have come back for them long before now. But she'd only been thinking of Yukiko, oblivious to everything else. Stupid. _Stupid._ Following Teddie's example, she rose from Yukiko's side, though her legs shook. The light from the gate hadn't diminished. _I've made so many mistakes. And we don't have a lot of time._ She glanced at Yukiko, then met Teddie's eyes. "I'm going to go in and see what's up. You look after Yukiko."

Teddie made a quick gesture. "Why do you have to go? Let me!"

Chie grimaced. If Aigis had gone in and hadn't come out, it seemed likely the gate lead into a trap. Should she go in to make sure? Was it smarter to stay clear so she could meet up with the others? But no. Aigis, even if they didn't know each other at all, was still her teammate. It didn't sit right leaving her behind in the unknown. Perhaps hurt, like Yukiko was - had been. "I won't be gone long. And - you have the curing; when Yukiko wakes up, she might need a Diarahan or two. I'll just be a minute."

Teddie pressed his lips together, forehead rumpled, eyes pained almost to the point of anger.

Chie jogged past him. "We can argue when I'm back!" Without caring that it contradicted everything she'd said, she added, "If the car shows up before I'm back, just go. Yukiko needs help!" And not waiting for an answer, she dashed through the gate.

* * *

_3.26.16_

"Maybe I shouldn't have eaten _quite_ so much," Rise admitted by the time they left Wild-duck Burger, heading down the street to the train station. She tapped her stomach, then put on a stiff upper lip. "So we have news your for grandfather." She shook her head. "Kind of makes you wish they'd taught Greek mythology at school."

"The streets are getting more crowded," Naoto said _sotto voce_. "Let's talk about something less interesting." She'd turned to look at Rise and so didn't notice that Sanada had stopped short until she ran into his back. "What's-?" Stepping back, she felt Sanada's shoulders tense, then he started down the street almost at a run, shoving past passers-by. Naoto hesitated, then jumped forward, her smaller form maneuvering quickly through the crowd. If she lost sight of Sanada, she couldn't guarantee she'd be able to find him again. She could hear Rise behind her, half-heartedly apologizing for slamming past commuters.

Naoto squeezed between a male cross-dresser (who, in her professional opinion, really needed to work on the details) and a storefront to keep Sanada in sight. She couldn't shout ahead and ask what on earth had set him off - but then, he didn't seem concerned with keeping a low profile. Just who were they chasing? Kirijo? Somehow, running full tilt on a public street didn't seem her style, nor did getting caught in the first place.

The sidewalk ended abruptly on a corner. Naoto looked ahead, across the street, then to either side, finally catching a glimpse of Sanada shouldering around a cluster of tourists - he'd crossed the street and continued to the east. On an impulse, she stayed on her block, trying both to run parallel to him and to see ahead to their quarry. In the swiftly passing chaos of faces, she saw a flash of pink - _Kampe_.

Kampe flicked down a narrow alley, Sanada close behind. Heedless of traffic, Naoto sprinted across the street, darting around a small green sedan. Rise, longer-legged, quickly caught up and overtook her, reaching one hand back to grab Naoto's wrist, not letting go until they were on the opposite sidewalk. Ignoring the shouts of other pedestrians, they plunged into the crowd, elbowing their way to the alley.

After the busy street, the narrow strip between the buildings felt dark and quiet. Naoto's strides instinctively slowed, and she drew her gun, slipping off the safety. The only precaution she took was to hold it at shoulder level and tip the muzzle at the sky. "Stay behind me." For once, Rise didn't argue, though she kept close as they walked quickly down the alley, their eyes adjusting.

About then, Naoto realized that Sanada had never seen Kampe before. Therefore he had no reason to chase her through a crowded street.


	32. Chapter 32

32.

_3.26.16_

Chie paused, bracing her weight on one leg, ready to spring into a run. She recognized Elysion by its warm fragrance, though she'd never seen it this dark. Poplars stood all around her, shutting off the golden light, waving gently in the wind. She swallowed, wondering if she should call out Aigis' name - No, if any of Kirijo's people were around, that would lead them straight to her.

_C'mon, be smart. _She looked at the ground. The grass was shorter here; unlike the forests of her own world, there were no fallen leaves or underbrush. Any tracks there? Chewing her lower lip, she shifted her stance, looking at the grass from different angles. She thought - maybe - she saw the shadows of indentations. She took a few steps forward, then had to stop to locate the tracks again. Sighing with impatience, she got down on hands and knees, the better to see.

Chie didn't want to think about how much time passed - set against how little distance she managed to cover - when she found she had no difficulty tracking the robots' progress through the forest. There was a fallen branch, then a long score mark against another tree trunk, two more riddled with bullets, the grass scattered and bent. Chie climbed to her feet and broke into a half run, following the traces of a battle that had become increasingly brutal. And then she skidded to a halt so quickly she almost fell.

"Aigis-san?" she said tentatively. "Damn - _damn_." She took three steps towards the automaton, her gaze shifting from the crushed face, the wildly splayed limbs. Was she dead? That is, she was inoperable, but she was a machine. So could she be fixed? Or did she have a soul? Should she try to bring her body back? Was Kampe still out here?

Chie pivoted, casting about, then bent one leg in a guard. Of course there was no sign of the other robot. She took a deep breath. _If Aigis can be fixed, she can't be fixed right now, and she's too heavy for me to carry. I should get back. I should._ She hated leaving behind a comrade, even a...body, but she didn't dwell on that, heading back to the gate at a run. She remembered how differently time could flow between the worlds, and she wasn't even sure how much of Elysion's time had elapsed during her visit.

Chie leapt through the gate and stumbled down the dormitory's wide steps, catching herself on one knee. Lifting her head, she saw mid-morning sunlight glowing over the lobby and reception desk. She also saw no sign of Teddie and Yukiko.

So there was no point in lingering, certainly not over regret for Aigis or fear for Yukiko. Better to get moving and find the first train to Inaba.

Maybe it'd distract her from worrying.

* * *

_3.26.16_

Naoto only waited until she could clearly see Sanada, thus minimalize the odds of accidentally shooting him, before she angled her pistol forward, sighting on the figure beyond. Neither had stopped running until they'd come to the alley's terminus, half lit by a strip of sunlight above. Naoto could make out a female figure in a muted pink dress and a jacket. Short brown hair fell over her left eye. But she was smaller than Kampe, and her wary stance wasn't that of an unthinking weapon. She had a pistol in her hand, the blunt design Naoto had learned to associate with an Evoker. She'd crooked her arm, resting the pistol against her forehead.

Sanada's own Evoker was out, though not angled towards himself. "It's not like you to run."

"Shut up," the woman said, breathing hard. And then blinked, her tone shifting almost to supplication, something frantic behind her eyes. "Akihiko, I know why you're doing this, but you've got it all wrong. Don't you know Mitsuru better than that?"

"Of course I do! Which is why I know she's gone insane or-"

"Shut up!" There was more anger than fear in her voice now. "Why can't you just listen? If she has to force all of us, it's only going to be worse! Remember how we used to work together, Akihiko? Isn't that what we all used to be about? If you and the others would just get a grip, we could solve all this and save Minato!"

Sanada's hand tightened on his Evoker. "What about Ken? Who's going to save _him_?"

Doubt tightened the woman's eyes but was quickly subsumed by anger. "Don't you want to save him? How can you live knowing - knowing he's-" She took a ragged breath. "This can finally work, Akihiko, we don't have to undo time, and no one has to be hurt."

"No one_ else_ has to be hurt," Sanada corrected her. "And after what she's done, how can you believe anything Mitsuru says?"

The woman regarded him, firming her jaw. She pulled the trigger.

Naoto fired, Sanada evoked as a Persona swept through the alley, wide wings blasting them with a furious wind. The alley blazed blue-white with Caesar's lightning. As Naoto ran a bullet through Yamato Takeru's card, she noticed another shaft of light that had struck through the darkness, coming from a window on the lefthand building.

"Guys!" Rise's voice was almost drowned out in the thunder of Megidolaon. "-gate!"

Naoto, small and light-boned, was easily lifted by the Persona's next Magarudyne and slammed against the brick wall of one of the buildings. Sanada staggered back, throwing one hand out for balance, his fist crashing through the lit window. Warm light flooded out. "How is-"

"Oh hell." The woman breathed hard, staring wide-eyed at the light. "It...it worked."

"Mitsuru taught you how to make these gates?" Sanada asked, oblivious to the glass glittering in his knuckles.

The woman looked at Sanada, her expression unchanging, then she sprang forward, grasped the window ledge, and pulled herself through, leaving a long streak of blood down her right leg. While Naoto, shoulder hot with pain, lurched to her feet, Sanada heedlessly punched in the rest of the glass and pushed himself up after.

"C'mon, Naoto-kun, I'll help you," Rise said, dragging her over to the windowsill.

"I - damn - I don't need help!"

Putting a hand on either side of Naoto's waist, Rise gritted her teeth and hoisted the Detective Prince up, then shoved her over. "Don't kick me, you ingrate! We can't lose them!" Naoto landed arms-first on the floor inside, the cement floor of an empty warehouse. Ignoring another spasm of pain from her shoulders, she stood just as Rise landed. "Get in okay? Great, Kanji'll be so proud of me and my muscles. This way." Before Naoto could say anything, Rise was pulling her towards the glowing gate, set above a freshly-bleeding socket. "We just know there's going to be all sorts of hell on the other side. I'm not going to be the one who slows us down," was the last thing Rise said before they fell into the brightness.

* * *

_3.26.16_

"Right on time." Yosuke stretched as they stepped off the train in Yasoinaba Station. He glanced around. "And, like clockwork, there should be a cute little Shirogane car waiting for us..."

Souji stopped short, eyes widening. "Yosuke-"

"Huh? What-" Yosuke's voice died abruptly, his face less shocked than blank with amazement.

"What?" Kanji asked, looking around. There was a crowd of people disembarking from the train, but nothing out of the ordinary... Wait, who was that girl charging towards them?

"Kaori-chan?" Yosuke said weakly.

The girl, petite with gleaming black hair, stopped just short of his nose. She'd opened her mouth, as though about to lead off with a tirade, then she took a deep breath and closed it. Then she blushed and looked down, clasping her hands. "Um - I - I came to see you."

Yosuke still looked dumbfounded. Souji had taken a few steps back from the couple and gestured Kanji to do the same. Kanji stepped alongside his senpai and muttered, "The hell?"

"Girlfriend," was all Souji answered and, frankly, all he needed to say.

Yosuke cleared his throat, trying to recover himself. "Why? I mean, why now?"

"Well..." She toed the pavement. "Um, you were just gone so long. Another day, and I couldn't help being worried." She gave him a hard look, then blushed again, then unclasped her hands and stood straighter. "It's just really weird the way you've been gone, so I thought I'd come here and see for myself."

"What, you didn't trust me?"

"I-" She gestured quickly. "Of course I trusted you, I was just curious. I mean it - it must be really interesting and involved if it keeps you away so much. Whatever it is going on here."

Yosuke spread his arms out to either side. "Nothing much happening right now." In Kanji's opinion, he wasn't convincing, but then, Kanji didn't know how gullible Kaori was to begin with. "Just me and the guys, hanging out."

Finally, Kaori pulled her eyes from Yosuke to study Souji and Kanji. She gauged them, visibly relaxing. "Where's Teddie?"

"He went off to see someone," Yosuke said. "Uh, so, maybe you should-"

"You guys are just bumming around?" Kaori asked them, probably looking for confirmation.

"We're just doing our thing," Souji said easily. Kanji nodded and left it at that.

Kaori reclasped her hands. She took a moment before looking at Yosuke again, but when she did, her eyes were wistful. "I'm sorry I blew up. But - um - this is your hometown, right?" She glanced around the train station. "I've never been here before."

"She hinting?" Kanji muttered to Souji.

"Mildly," Souji muttered back.

Yosuke seemed to have caught on too. He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly unable to look in Kaori's face. "Yeah, it's pretty sad, isn't it? There's nothing to do here."

"But then what have you been doing for the past few days?" Kaori asked, reasonably enough.

"What're we gonna do?" Kanji muttered.

"Let me think," Souji muttered back.

"Yeah - well - you know-" Yosuke tried. "Just the usual country town stuff. Growing...cabbages and...stuff. You know."

"You said one of your friends was having a crisis," Kaori argued, so politely. "Is that okay now?"

"I mean," Souji went on to Kanji, "most girlfriends think their guy's friends are jerks to begin with. So if we pick her up and shove her onto the next train, Yosuke isn't going to lose _that_ much."

"You're BSing this," Kanji muttered.

"Dunno then. It's up to Yosuke," Souji muttered back.

"It's still iffy," Yosuke said, picking up speed, "and they kinda want us to be on hand, which is why we really can't go anywhere. You know?"

"I guess," Kaori said, drooping a bit. "But still, you-"

"Oh, hey guys! You took this train too?"

They all turned to see Chie walking towards them, hands in pockets, a grateful smile on her face. Her steps slowed, and her smile faltered as she saw Kaori.

"Oh, hey!" Yosuke sounded relieved at the diversion. "_Great_ to see you, Chie."

"Uh-" Chie looked around the circle, then at Kaori. "Hi?"

Though he probably hadn't put much analysis into it, Yosuke seemed to realize there was a new awkwardness to an already awkward moment. "Oh, this is Kaori Katsurada. My, uh, girlfriend. Kaori-chan, this is-"

"I recognize her," Kaori clipped, looking much grimmer than Kanji thought she could look.

Chie blinked. "You what? You recognize me?" Her eyes narrowed and darted to Yosuke, at odds with the sudden blush on her cheeks. "What, do you_ talk_ about me to people? Just what the hell do you say?"

"Hold your ground," Souji muttered.

"You talking to Yosuke or yourself?" Kanji asked.

"I haven't said anything about you, I just-" Yosuke started.

"You're still the same old creep!" Chie went on, stalking up to him (while Yosuke went into reverse, hands held in front of himself). "Sure, I don't have to put up with you calling me up to tell me dirty jokes anymore, but now I get to hear that you're _telling your girlfriends about me_?"

"One, I only have one girlfriend," Yosuke said, getting angry. "Two, I've talked about you maybe _twice_ - _if that _-_ ever_ - to _anyone_ at school! Three-"

"You call her up to tell her dirty jokes?" Kaori said, face aghast.

Yosuke blinked and looked from one girl to the other. Then clutched at his forehead with both hands. "Dammit! You're both making way too much of this."

Kaori rounded on Chie. "So, what _are_ you guys doing here? Yosuke said you're lending a friend moral support."

"Just what makes you think this is any of your business?" Chie demanded, drawing herself up (as short as Chie was, Kanji always felt there was something impressive when she did this). "Did Yosuke _ask_ you to come?"

"Of course I didn't!" Yosuke broke in. "Why the hell would I bring my girlfriend to something like this?"

Kaori's face went white, and she leveled an irate glare at her beloved. "I'm not sure you _have_ a girlfriend anymore! Fine! Stay here! Have fun with your weird - clingy -_ friends_!" And bursting into tears, she turn and ran from them, losing herself in the crowd.

"Whoa..." Chie said after a moment. Her anger was gone, and she looked like she was going to start crying herself. "I - I'm really sorry, Yosuke, I didn't-"

Yosuke watched Kaori go, swore, then shook his head. "Forget about it. Let's just find the car and get going." They walked in silence to the parking lot, scanning the area for any Shirogane employees.

It took them several minutes to realize that there were simply none to be found.

And that when they called Shirogane's number, there was no answer.


	33. Chapter 33

33.

_3.26.16_

The brightness quickly diminished, but they were still falling. Rise released Naoto's wrist as they pitched downwards on a steep slope, littered with sand and dark rocks, fist-sized and larger. Naoto closed her eyes and went limp, allowing gravity to control her as she slammed down and went half sliding, half rolling. She tumbled, jabbed by rocks, hitting them at all angles, sliding through sand that was blazing hot. At first she tried to be calm and stoic, but she quickly found herself swearing, even crying out, just to vent the pain. She couldn't hear anything but her own descent, didn't know what sort of state Rise - and Sanada - and that woman - were in. She didn't know how much longer she could take this, what she'd hit at the bottom, what would be waiting for them - she'd never wanted to go down with her eyes closed -

She crashed into the ground, and she already had her plan - she'd open her eyes, stand, retarget, evoke if she had to, get answers. But then she realized that she'd had enough time to think all that, and yet somehow, her eyes still weren't open.

They next thing she knew, Rise was smacking her bruised cheek. She wasn't sure how she knew it was Rise as she was still dragging her eyes open - and she was saying something? Naoto closed her mouth and opened her eyes, squinting against a trickle of blood.

Rise was bending over her - took a moment to glance over her shoulder - then said, "You think anything's broken?" Rise herself had looked better, a large, already green bruise on her forehead, the right side of her face caked with sand. More sand dribbled down from her curls.

Trying to breathe evenly, Naoto moved each limb, then cautiously sat up. Aside from the raw pain in her shoulders and several small gashes, it didn't hurt too much, though she knew she'd be in agony tomorrow, provided she lived that long. Her attention moved past Rise; she could see Sanada in the distance, arguing with that woman. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, then pushed up to her feet. "Thanks, Rise-chan."

"I didn't do anything," Rise said, voice high, too quick with anxiety. "You really scared me when you blacked out. I mean, it was only a couple seconds, but still." She frowned. "You came back talking, you know that? You called out for-"

"I-" Shaking herself, Naoto walked towards Sanada. "Not now."

Rise fell in step beside her. "This doesn't look good."

Sanada and the woman had no attention to spare for the others, continuing a debate that was only partially understood by Rise and Naoto.

"Is Mitsuru dead?" the woman was saying, rhetorically, Naoto could only assume. "Is she some kind of monster?"

"She took a bullet to the heart without a flinch," Sanada shot back. "As for being a monster, you've seen what she's done."

The woman shook her hair out of her face. She had a black eye, though Naoto didn't know if it had come from the rocky descent or from Sanada's fist. "You're so stubborn, you always have to-"

"What's her reason, Yukari?" Sanada broke in. "What's this noble reason that justifies all she's doing?"

Yukari caught her breath, then seemed to rally, clenching her fists and setting her shoulders back. "Who knows more about Personas than anyone? The Kirijo Group. They understand it _better than we do_. Mitsuru's found a way to save him, but she needs our help."

"If this is such a good solution," Sanada said, "why did she have to kidnap people? Why couldn't she have just called us all together?"

"Because - because she knew you'd start arguing with her from the start - Like you always do - She's been wearing herself to the bone and all you do is-"

"Yukari - You aren't the only one who cares about Mitsuru," Sanada broke in. "Maybe you never noticed, maybe you were too caught up in yourself, but we were all her friends too."

"I-" Yukari blinked quickly.

"If she had a good answer, we would've listened to her. She knows that better than you do. Which is why she had to resort to kidnapping Fuuka, killing Ken-"

"Shut up!"

"Will that make it easier for you to think? Fine." And Sanada shut up, pocketing his Evoker, taking several steps back from her. Yukari, fists still clenched, swung away from him, staring at the ground.

Light glittered beside Naoto. Rise had evoked, scanning. Naoto took in their surroundings less perfectly than Kanzeon. It was unlike anywhere else she'd seen in Elysion. Though the golden sky was familiar, it was cloudless, and there was no scent of asphodels, only a dusty oversweetness in the hot air. The land was barren, a duller, darker gold than the sky, and the dim shadows on the horizon appeared to be cliffs, not trees.

Naoto watched the two of them, Sanada and the woman she assumed was Yukari Takeba. Should she try to intervene? Takeba might be more willing to answer questions from someone she didn't have a history with; it was easier to be up front with a stranger. It was also easier to lie to a stranger.

Takeba brought her hand to her eyes. "So you think Mitsuru's gone crazy and your solution is to kill her? No wonder you've given up on Minato."

There was a naked emotion in Sanada's face, but he covered it quickly. "What choice do I have?"

"If you'd listen-"

"Then talk!"

"I don't know the full plan!" Takeba wheeled on him. "I just know that the Seal requires strong willpower to be maintained - only Minato's will was strong enough. But Mitsuru says our combined Personas can stand in his place." Sanada blinked, eyes widening. "Our combined wills. We can finally repay him for what he did! And he - he can go free." She swallowed. "She doesn't know if he'd be able to live anymore, but even if he died...at least he'd be at rest. At least he wouldn't have to spend eternity protecting a world that doesn't know he's there in the first place."

"Wait." Sanada's voice shook. "It can't be that simple. Why would Mitsuru have to fight us for that?"

"Because you don't want Minato to go free, you want him to-"

"Of _course_ I want Minato to go free!" Sanada shouted. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice under control. "No, it's because we'd be parted from our Personas, isn't it?"

"Isn't that a fair trade?" Takeba had set herself, as if bracing for an attack. "Trading these - powers we never should've had in the first place so Minato can live?"

"We've always had these powers," Sanada retorted. "They're us."

"Yeah, we pretend to kill ourselves and then whacked out mythological beings appear! How is that natural?"

"Being able to manifest them isn't natural," Sanada said. "But the Personas are still _us_." In a moment, he drew his Evoker and shot himself in the head. Caesar hovered in front of him, unmoving. "If you killed Caesar, you'd be killing me. I don't care if I was still able to fight and talk anyway. I wouldn't have my Persona. I'd be a ghost." Caesar flickered out of sight.

"But Minato-"

"-wanted us alive."

Faster than Sanada, Takeba evoked her own Persona, sending a wave of wind into him. Sanada fell back, bringing one arm to guard for another attack, dust flying around him. Takeba stared detatchedly at her Persona as it floated before her, its intricate wings sweeping to either side. "I would die for Minato," she said softly. She rubbed her face, and the Persona vanished. "Dammit, Mitsuru."

"She knew she couldn't make us kill ourselves," Sanada said heavily. "So she hunted us down. Am I right?"

"You're wrong," Takeba said. "We can save him." She shook herself and straightened, glancing towards Rise and Naoto. "So now what? You've taken me prisoner or something? Going to make me confess? I'll tell you anything, but I know it won't make you change your mind." She closed on a condescending note.

"What were you doing out here, in the city?" Naoto asked. "I had assumed you'd either be at Port Island or wherever Kirijo is."

"I was heading back for the Yakushima gate," Takeba answered. Her eyes clouded, then sharpened. "Mitsuru wanted to give me time to think things through. Before I made my decision."

"To become a ghost?"

She winced. "Sure."

"So Kirijo and her entourage entered Elysion. Has she left?"

Takeba shifted her stance, clearly reevaluating her promise to tell them anything. "...No. She's still here."

"Where is she?" Sanada demanded.

There was tension all throughout Takeba's body, released as she stamped her foot. "Fine! I'll take you to her. Maybe - once you see - once you finally listen - you'll understand what it is we have to do."

"Do you know your way around this place?" Rise asked, Kanzeon casting behind her. "It's huge."

Takeba shifted her weight, shoulders still stiff, still braced despite the confidence in her voice. "I've been here longer than any of you have. I think I know where we are."

Sanada studied Takeba's face. After a moment, she returned his gaze, held it. "Okay," Sanada said finally. "Take us to Mitsuru."

"No."

Sanada hesitated, as if unable to think who had spoken, then he turned to Naoto, lowering his eyebrows.

"I don't trust this," Naoto said, looking from him to Takeba. "Kirijo's your friend, and you know we want to kill her. Why are you taking us to her? Is it that she can't be killed?"

"Of course she can be killed! She's not a monster," Takeba fired back. "But I think she's the only one who can talk sense into you people." And she gestured angrily to Sanada.

"We need to go," Sanada said, glancing at Naoto but speaking to Takeba. "It's the quickest way to get to the heart of this."

"It could be a trap," Naoto countered. "She'll be leading us towards Kirijo and all her remaining ghosts. I refuse to do this without support."

"What makes you think I didn't realize that?" Sanada snapped. He gestured to the rocky slope they'd tumbled down. "Do you think you can get back up that to the gate? Even if Yukari opened a gate for us down here, we have no idea where it would lead. We can't get the others."

Naoto didn't glance back, but she knew the gate was pulsing above them, far out of any of their reach. She looked at Takeba, defiant, brittle. Did Sanada see something he could trust there? Was he desperate?

Naoto took a steadying breath. She wasn't desperate. Not yet. "No. Sanada, we can't trust her."

Sanada looked at her wordlessly, then turned and started walking. "Let's go, Yukari."

"Wait!" Naoto shouted, almost hoarse yelp. "You - we need to stick together!"

"So stick with us!" Takeba fired back.

"Naoto-kun-" Kanzeon had vanished, and Rise was wide-eyed. "There goes our healer."

"Do _you_ trust this?"

Rise watched the two diminishing figures. "I - I don't know. I think Sanada-san just wants to get to Kirijo. No matter what the risk is."

"There _has_ to be a better way to do this," Naoto said, loud enough for the others to hear. And lower, "_Damn._"

"We need a plan," Rise said quickly. "Before they're out of sight."

Naoto glanced back up the slope, the hot, shifting sand. There would be no climbing it. "What did you see in your scan?"

Rise gestured in the appropriate directions. "Cliffs that way, forests beyond. Flatlands. And a really big - something - over there." She pointed to their left.

"Something?" Naoto repeated, watching the others. They were still in sight though growing indistinct. A wind had kicked up, hoisting whips of dust into the air before letting them fall.

"It's...it's kind of like a really big ghost," Rise said. "Like Kirijo's ghosts, only...much bigger and worse. I think. I don't really want to get close enough to see better. Naoto-kun, they're almost gone."

"Did you see any gates?"

Rise's answer was uncharacteristic; she deflected. "We can ask Takeba-san to make one. That'll be easier."

"I don't trust her. She might send us right to Kirijo. Did you see any gates?"

Rise closed her eyes, wincing. "There's one nearby..." Her hand twitched to their left.

Naoto tried not to dwell on how much she didn't like that answer. "How close is it to this ghost?"

"Too close," Rise said.

Naoto rubbed her aching shoulder, then wiped a dribble of blood from her jaw. "I suggest we survey the area. I would prefer to avoid this ghost, but we may find a way to the gate without drawing its notice."

"Oh crap, I knew it." Rise evoked again, Kanzeon lifting off the ground to hover behind her as she walked. "Just promise we won't get too close. This thing...it feels as strong as Ameno-Sagiri. Maybe stronger. And if you didn't want us facing Kirijo alone, you have to admit we shouldn't try to take this thing on without help."

Naoto checked her pistol. "We can't get help until we get to a gate."

* * *

_3.26.16_

It was a good thing they were all young and spry. And that the roads were well maintained. But it was still taking far too long to get to the Shirogane estate. By foot.

"Is it this turnoff?" Chie asked as they came to one of the rare intersections, angling their steps closer to the shoulder as a car passed.

"Next one," Souji said.

In another hour, they'd hit the small stretch of forest, which meant they were only about three and a half miles from the estate. The tree cover also gave them the illusion of privacy, and they found themselves back to asking questions, trying to figure out what had happened to Shirogane.

"Oh hell," Chie said yet again. "And we sent Teddie and Yukiko back to the estate. What if something happened to them?"

"Kirijo might've intercepted them," Yosuke said. "And..."

"Taken over the estate?" Souji finished.

"Shit, it's like a fortress," Kanji said. "You saw those walls. I mean - what'd she do, infiltrate the house through the electrical outlets?"

"As moronic as it sounds," Yosuke said, "that's likely."

A bush they were passing cleared its throat.

After all they'd seen, their instinct wasn't to doubt their hearing; Kanji lifted the trash can lid he'd pilfered on the way over, Yosuke drew his knives, Souji angled his sword up, and Chie brought her knee to her chest, guarding.

A pair of hands popped out of the bush, held in a gesture of surrender. A man emerged, impeccably neat for someone who had been hiding in the foliage.

Souji recognized him first. "Yakushiji-san?"

"Good afternoon," he said smoothly, stepping away from the bush and bowing. "Now that I have your attention, allow me to advise you to go no further."

"What's happened?" Kanji asked. "Is Shirogane-san in trouble?"

Yakushiji hesitated. "Yes. The estate is currently under the control of the Inaba Police Force."

"What?" squawked Chie.

"It appears Mrs. Amagi called the police to report Ms. Yukiko's absence and is holding my master accountable. They are currently questioning him. He managed to sneak me out and gave me strict orders to warn you from coming any closer."

"Dude," said Yosuke. "What's going to happen? Is he going to be arrested?"

Yakushiji smiled. "My master has never been arrested. And he gave me further instruction. As he didn't want any of you Persona-users to be found or detained, he had Iori-san and his team escape. Including Teddie-san and Ms. Yukiko. She is well," he added as Chie opened her mouth to ask. "They are heading for Elysion by the fastest means possible, via your dormitory." He nodded to Souji and Yosuke. "My master advises you go join them."

"Dammit," Yosuke muttered. "More of the train." More loudly, he asked, "Did they have any news?"

"Iori-san seems concerned that Aigis-san has not been heard from," Yakushiji said. Chie flinched. "Aside from that, I know nothing."

"Got it." Souji reslung his sword on his back.

"Don't suppose you brought a car?" Yosuke asked, looking back down the road they'd spent so many hours trudging along.

"We don't have time to complain," said Kanji. "Let's go!" Chie, fired up the news Yukiko was fine, set off at a run.

"Oh he-" Yosuke cut himself off and rubbed his forehead. "You know, _hell_ just doesn't seem adequate in times like these. What's worse than hell?"

"Elysion." Souji answered. "Or Inaba." And together, they started back down the road.


	34. Chapter 34

34.

_3.26.16_

"I feel like I should know you kids by name," the ticket seller said, handing Yosuke the tickets through the window. Yosuke rolled his eyes and snatched the tickets, divvying them out as they boarded the train. He sat next to Chie, noticing that she edged a bit away from him. Why not? Seemed like all of womankind had a bone to pick with him. Even Naoto, whom he didn't always think of as a woman, probably had a bone to pick with him. If Teddie put on his Alice dress, he too would have a bone to pick with Yosuke. He leaned back against his seat, tilted his chin up and closed his eyes.

"No answer," said Souji, which was a surprise to no one. They hadn't been expecting much even when he called Iori, and working down the list of Iori's teammates had yielded similar results. Yosuke heard Chie shift on the seat beside him, probably worried that Yukiko hadn't picked up.

"It's good," Kanji said, though he sounded subdued. "They've probably already gone through the gate."

"Would've been nice to know which gate they used," Yosuke said, not moving. "I just hope Shirogane-san warned them about the cliff and the scythe-god-whatever."

"Assuming he did, and Shirogane-san doesn't seem to be the type to forget," Souji said, "we'll enter through the Persona graveyard." There was another pause, and Yosuke heard him tap his thumbnail against his phone. "Should we try Naoto's team?"

"Why not?" Kanji asked abruptly - challengingly.

"Yeah," Chie said after a moment. "Probably they're still heading back for the estate, where Yakushiji-san will tell them what he told us. And then they'll head back up here. Naoto might want us to wait for her before we enter." She sounded hopeful. Yosuke didn't deny that a serious, in-depth planning session would be nice. He heard Souji dial.

"Nothing," he said after a moment.

Yosuke opened his eyes and looked forward. "That's not right. They were on their way to Yasoinaba last we heard from them."

"It-" Kanji closed his eyes a moment, gathering himself. "It doesn't mean anything. She turns off her phone when she's in the middle of something. She's prolly just planning with the others."

Yosuke glanced at Kanji, impressed that he'd kept it together. But now wasn't the time for compliments. "If Naoto wants us to wait for her, she'll call." He left the _If she can call_ unsaid. She had Rise, she had Sanada's healing - they should assume she was okay.

He didn't take it as a good sign that they didn't really talk all the rest of the train ride.

"Okay," Souji muttered, unshouldering his sword as they walked up The Dorm's driveway, "be ready for an attack. Kirijo probably guessed we'd be this way." But as they cautiously opened the door, they met with no assault, nor any obvious sign of Iori's team having met with trouble. Just a note that read _graveyard_.

"That makes it simple," Yosuke said with some relief. "But chances are good we won't find them waiting for us. If it isn't a trap left by Kirijo anyway."

"I'm grateful that you're an optimist," Souji said.

* * *

_3.26.16_

It got hotter the further south they went. At regular intervals, Rise called out their distance from the ghost, and Naoto, not only for Rise's peace of mind, was careful to maintain a wide berth. Kanzeon was homing in on the gate's exact location, but they also found themselves drawing gradually closer to the ghost.

They walked on hard-packed dirt and rock surrounded by high, stony ridges, down winding alleys with boulders on either side, the sky sometimes blocked to only a thin strip. They paused in a small cave, its stone impossibly warped and rippled above them. Without waiting for Naoto to ask, Rise said, "We're less than a kilometer from the ghost. The gate is..." She paused, letting Kanzeon's satellites sway. "The gate's a little beyond the ghost."

Naoto removed her cap and ran a hand through her hair, her fingernails filthy. "I wonder if it's prudent to assume there are other gates relatively near."

"I don't see anything," Rise said. "Naoto, we can't take this ghost on. It's too powerful."

Naoto didn't reply, afraid she'd unleash the flood of doubts - should she have gone with Sanada and Takeba, should they have asked Takeba to make a gate, should they have tried to climb back to their original gate? Should they keep going and trust the landscape would hide them from view? Should they start off in an entirely new direction and hope they found another gate? After a moment, she trusted her voice to remain steady. More or less. "Does the ghost move at all?"

"It hasn't."

_Perhaps it can't_. Would it do her any good to hope? "Let's sit and rest," she said, lowering herself to the ground. "We want to...plan intelligently."

Kanzeon shattered, and Rise let herself plunk down, whooshing out a pent-up breath. "This is crazy. The two of us out here, no healing, your dodgy spells... I wish Senpai was here." She rubbed her eyes, then looked quickly at Naoto. "Not that I don't trust you-"

"I understand," Naoto said, too tired to be anything but honest. "I wouldn't mind having Souji-senpai or any of the others here myself."

Rise twisted her mouth around in a wry grimace. "You didn't understand me at all. Sure, I'd like to have another person with us, but I'd really like to have _Senpai_ with us."

Naoto stared at her in confusion, then blushed and looked away. "Oh. Yes. I see. Of course."

"C'mon, don't tell me you're surprised."

"Well - I mean, yes, I've heard you say you love him, but I've never...put much thought into it."

"Well, neither has he, it looks like." Rise sighed and began finger-combing her hair, trying to get the rest of the sand out. Naoto drew her pistol; after two short battles, it could use a cleaning, but she didn't have her kit with her. She'd have to trust it would maintain its accuracy. _Of course, if I'm fighting an enormous "too powerful" ghost, is accuracy even a concern?_ She slipped it back into her pocket.

Rise seemed perturbed, re-parting her hair with too much indifference. "Do you have anything like a plan?"

Naoto closed her eyes. "I'm intrigued by the fact that the ghost hasn't moved. Can you tell if it's asleep? If the dead Personas in this world are immobile, does that argue that the ghosts would be the same?"

"We think Kirijo's a ghost, or something like one," Rise said. "Can she move in here? Sounds kinda silly, but..." Naoto shook her head, at a loss. Rise fell back into contemplation.

Naoto swallowed with an effort. "We're both becoming dehydrated. We need to get to a water source."

"I haven't seen any rivers. So you're going to suggest we keep making for the gate."

"We'll assess the area around the gate. Let's go."

The terrain prevented them from seeing far in any direction; Naoto wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she could tell that they were approaching the ghost - the air seemed even hotter, bathing her face with sweat. She listened for any sounds of movement, but she had no idea what to expect. Rise counted off their proximity to the ghost in a mumrur. Naoto kept her gun drawn, finger resting at an angle from the trigger.

She almost fired as the white figure flashed in front of her. But she paused, her breath punching up through her chest, because she instinctively knew who it was.

Light slid across Yamato Takeru's long visor as he tilted his face down to look at her, his yellow eyes half-seen behind the curved black pane. His saber hung sheathed on his hip, but his sword hand was extended from his side, barring their path. He was just smaller than Naoto, yet both she and Rise had halted.

"What are you doing?" Rise asked her.

"I didn't do anything," Naoto said, staring at her hovering Persona. She couldn't read his expression - which was ridiculous - they were one being. How could she not know what he was doing?

"You don't want us to keep going," Rise said, looking at Naoto, not her Persona. "At least, part of you doesn't."

"That's obvious. But we need to keep going," Naoto said, taking a step forward. Rise walked alongside her - then was jerked back.

"What the-?" Still wearing her visor, she turned to face Kanzeon. Her Persona hadn't moved to follow her. "What...?"

Naoto had stopped barely short of Yamato Takeru, just below his eye level. She sighed, not needing to look back as she said to Rise, "Part of you doesn't want to go on either?"

"We have to. C'mon, Kanzeon!" The Persona shivered, as though she were about to disappear, then drifted behind Rise. Yamato Takeru glided out of their path, but though Naoto didn't choose to manifest him, he remained physically present, flying just above her. Something had changed, something strong enough to draw their Personas unevoked from them. She knew it meant danger, but it was also somehow comforting. They felt like more than two people. _And only one fighter. If something happens, it's up to me. What I wouldn't give even for a Dia._

The air shifted, whistled as if parted by metal. Naoto glanced at Rise, then up at her Persona, wishing she could see through his eyes, ask him to fly up and scan the terrain. She didn't need to ask if they were close to the ghost, or the gate.

"The gate is directly ahead, we're about twenty meters away," Rise whispered. "The ghost-" she gestured to the left "-forty or so meters in that direction. That barrier-" she pointed at a rock wall in front of them "-stops a few meters down over there. We can run around it, and then I think we have a clear shot at the gate." Her voice was steady. "But I don't think there's a wall or anything that can protect us from the ghost."

"We have to do this," Naoto said. This close to freedom, she couldn't accept another option. "Get ready." They edged along the side of the wall, coming to its corner. Naoto peered around. She'd hardly noticed it, but the rocklands had darkened to an iron red. The boulders were splashed with shifting shadows - firelight shadows, coming from some point Naoto couldn't yet see. Ahead, she discerned the faint outline of the gate. Finally, she tipped her head up to look at Yamato Takeru. His sword was drawn. "Okay, Rise-chan. Don't waste time looking at the ghost."

Kanzeon disappeared, and Rise half laughed, half sighed with exasperation. "I'll be surprised if you can resist. C'mon, let's prove Chie-senpai's not the fastest runner on our team."

They burst from their cover.

Naoto couldn't help it - in the corner of her eye, she saw a whirling, fire-laced shape, metal swinging, flashing in the sun. She faced forward, trying to ignore, focus only on the gate - Rise was ahead of her, hair flying - somehow she was dodging the worst of the rocks, barely stumbling -

She felt the heat shift and threw herself to the ground as an Agidyne passed over her, exploding against one of the rocks. She'd already pushed to her feet again, not wasting time to counterattack, just running for the gate. Rise, faster, leapt up and hurtled through the light, disappearing.

The gate was glittering, bright and hard as diamond. Naoto instinctively slid, fanning dust and pebbles around her, even as the gate closed in on itself and vanished.

* * *

_3.26.16_

Yukari glanced at Akihiko as they walked through the poplar forest, but she was done talking to him. Let Mitsuru do the explaining - she'd done it often enough. Yukari shook her head, trying not to dwell on their old SEES days, Mitsuru briefing them on their missions, explaining the natures of Personas and Shadows. As complicated as it had been back then, she'd have given much to go back. And not merely to see Minato again.

A raw ache pulsed in her chest at the thought of him. She glanced at Akihiko again. Did he feel that way for Mitsuru? He couldn't. There was no way he could kill Mitsuru if he felt that. If he loved her, he'd be trying every single thing possible to save her.

_Mitsuru doesn't need to be saved. We're doing the right thing._ It felt hollow, but that didn't mean it was wrong - it just meant she was doubting, but that_ didn't_ mean it was wrong.

She thought again of Minato, as she'd seen him last. It was sometimes hard to consider anyone else's pain over losing him, Mitsuru's guilt. She'd once partially blamed Mitsuru, her family, for beginning the cycle that had led to Minato's Seal.

And Mitsuru must have felt that. She was fighting with all her being to undo her family's legacy.

_Mitsuru will convince him. She's the only person he's ever been afraid of._ An incongruous smile jumped to her lips, and she straightened it out._ C'mon, don't get nervous, don't get hysterical. This is going to be all right. It's all fine. _

She spotted something white ahead in the trees.

* * *

_3.26.16_

Rise fell forward into a scattered heap of paperback books and manga, sliding across someone's bedroom floor. She lay panting, opening and closing her eyes as she looked around. Then she flipped over. "Naoto?"

She faced empty wall. No gate. There was a wet red trail beneath the electrical outlet, but no more blood came from the sockets.

"No," Rise said. She sat up. "Naoto! _Naoto!_" She slammed her palms against the wall, as if the staid beige wallpaper was nothing but an illusion. "You can't - no - Dammit, no!" But she knew that, no matter what it felt like, Naoto was no longer just behind her; she was a universe away.

Leaning against the wall, Rise pushed herself to her feet, looking around the room. It seemed to be a guy's bedroom - unmade futon, a laundry hamper full of clothes shoved in one corner, a golf club - golf club?

Rise ran out the door, down the hall and into the house's front room, her eyes falling on the enlarged photo of herself and her friends. "Yes, thank you!" She didn't care that she was crying or that she had no idea whom she was thanking. Her eyes fell on a note, reading _graveyard_. Graveyard - graveyard - Which room had they said that was? Yosuke's room. She dashed back up the hall, past Teddie's room to the bedroom at the end, evoking as she ran.

* * *

_3.26.16_

They could only assume that the plate-armored knight Persona, its right arm wrenched up, its index finger pointing west, was a sign left by Iori's team to tell them which direction to go in. In any case, it was the only prompt they had. Chie and Yosuke set off at jogs, running ahead of Souji and Kanji. It wasn't as good as Rise or Teddie's surveillance, but it was the best they could do.

They finally left the Persona graveyard behind, leading to more fields of asphodels. On their left they could see a thick dark forest; to their right, nothing but fields. They'd stopped several times to rest, once to share out the food and water they'd bought at the train station, before they came to a long sandy shoreline. The water, reflecting the sky, was a rich, mellow amber, crashing in a creamy froth as it hit the land.

"Whoa," said Yosuke.

"It's beautiful." Chie stamped her foot. "Dammit, I hate this place, so why does it have to be so pretty?"

"Looks kinda empty without any birds though," Kanji said.

"I don't think Iori's managed to build a boat and cross," Souji said, looking out over the ocean. "I mean, they're good, but they're not that good. Let's take a rest and see if they left another marker for us."

They had no way of judging the time here, but it seemed to be growing late. The sky was darkening, its edges tinting to red. They didn't mention it, but none of them could actually locate a sun in the sky, so they didn't know if it was setting; the sky simply dimmed equally in all directions, spreading towards the zenith. The clouds gathered, blotting the light, casting everything into a red glow. It wasn't a bloody red - it was just as pretty as the other sky had been - but none of them liked it.

"Guys," Yosuke called out; they'd scattered along the beach, but they were all within shouting distance, "I have the distinct feeling that night in this place isn't fun. What d'you say we...close ranks?"

It was still warm, so there was no need to build a fire, though it would've been comforting. But there wasn't any driftwood, nor did any of them carry a lighter. Or have a simple Agi spell, though Souji blandly offered to incinerate the beach with an Agidyne. Yosuke cursed cruel destiny as they sat in a tight circle and ate.

"We should sleep in shifts," Chie said presently. Nobody said they were staying on the beach for the night, but then, no one got up to keep going either. "Um, I'll go first."

"Thanks." Yosuke stretched and lay back (Chie scooted away from him again), crossing his arms behind his head. "Dammit. This sucks."

"I dunno," Kanji said after a moment from the other side of the circle. "I mean, hell knows what this place is, but it's kind of...pretty here."

"The clouds are clearing up a bit," came Souji's voice after a moment. "Any of you guys recognize those stars?"

"Shit, does this place even have a moon?" Kanji asked.

"If you're done stargazing," Yosuke said, "can we please sleep during the slender moments when we're not in mortal peril?"

"It's been too peaceful," was Souji's answer. "I was expecting Kirijo to be waiting for us."

"Maybe she was," Chie said. "Maybe Iori-san and the others already cleaned that up."

"No signs of battle." Souji yawned. "Maybe she's running out of ghosts. We can hope."

"I love the way you people listen to me," Yosuke muttered.

* * *

_3.27.16?_

By the time his watch came around - Souji had taken the final watch - he was working on the assumption that it was the next day, though whether a day had passed in Japan, nobody could know. They hadn't slept much, even once they'd stopped talking, lying on the soft sand, left to worry and speculate.

It was still dark, the sky having deepened several hours ago to burgundy. Souji stared up at the patches of unfamiliar stars, then at the shifting waves, then back to the fields. Empty as always. Kanji lay on his back, fingers plaited on his chest, snoring gently. Chie lay on her stomach, cheek resting on her folded arms; he couldn't tell if she was really asleep. At some point, Yosuke had wriggled closer to Chie and, whether or not it had been intentional, if Chie noticed, Yosuke was in for universes of hurt. Souji sighed, wishing he had blankets to cover them with.

Light sparked across the field.

Souji stood, raising his sword. Wordlessly, Chie also climbed to her feet. Kanji shook himself, and Yosuke sat up half-awake, cutting off a question.

"C'mon," Souji said. "No point getting backed against a wall." By which he meant the ocean, where it would be more than difficult to fight. They advanced cautiously across the field, Kanji bringing his trash can lid up, Yosuke spinning his knives. Chie jogged forward - then cried out and broke into a run, rushing headlong towards the distant figure.

"What the-? Idiot!" Yosuke, then Kanji, then Souji, launched into a run after her. And when they realized what she was running towards, they didn't slow down.

Kanzeon shimmered and vanished as Chie threw her arms around Rise, knocking both of them to their knees. "Are you all right?" Chie said. "Damn, I hate having everyone separated like this. You're okay?"

"No." Rise stood, shaking messy curls out of her face. She saw Souji, took a half step towards him, then firmed her chin.

"Where are the others?" Souji said, looking past her for Naoto and Sanada.

"Like I said," Rise answered heavily, "we're not okay."

"The hell you saying?" Kanji demanded.

Rise threw him an abstracted glance, then focused on Souji. "We chased down one of Kirijo's friends, Yukari Takeba. She - we got into Elysion, then we couldn't get out. And she said she'd take us to Kirijo, but only Sanada was willing to go with her. So we split up, and I haven't seen them since." She swallowed. "Naoto and I went looking for another gate. And we found that - that Kronos thing."

They waited for her to say what had happened next. Rise bit her lip, looking at Souji, face tense and still. Souji took a deep breath. "Naoto's dead?"

Rise burst into tears. "Damn, I don't know! The gate was right there, and I got through, but she didn't, and when I tried to go back, it was gone! So I don't - she was left right there with it - I didn't mean to leave her, I swear I didn't!"

Biting her lower lip, Chie put her arm around Rise's shoulders. Kanji stared at Rise, breathing hard. "But you - you didn't-" His voice was too thin, and it snapped entirely.

"You didn't see her die?" Yosuke said quietly.

"Don't get our hopes up!" Rise shouted. "That Kronos thing, it's huge and she's - you've seen her in fights, she's weak!"

"_You _shut up!" Kanji shouted back; Rise's head jerked up, face stricken. "We can't stand here feeling sorry for ourselves! We hafta get back to that Kronos and shove its scythe-"

"The gate's closed," Souji broke in.

"And by foot, it'll probably take hours to get there," Yosuke continued. He braced as Kanji wheeled on him, fists clenched. "Yeah, I get you. We're all worried about her. We just have to be - realistic about this."

"To hell with realistic!" Kanji shouted. "I-" He closed his eyes, forehead furrowed, fists at his sides. "I don't care if she's already dead or what I find there or anything - I'm still going to slaughter that thing."

Yosuke winced; Souji suspected he was remembering Saki Konishi. "I - Yeah. C'mon, we're gonna find her. Right, partner?" Souji nodded.

Rise stepped away from Chie, dragging the back of her hand across her gritty face. "Kanji, I - I'm so sorry."

Kanji looked away from her, lips tightly together, restraining a tide of angry words. He gulped for breath, blinked, then stepped forward and hugged her hard, lifting her off her feet. When he set her down, he turned quickly away, and Rise looked like she was about to cry again.

But she didn't. She summoned Kanzeon.


	35. Chapter 35

35.

_3.26.16_

The inferno of Kronos' heart opened before her, blooming like a six-petaled asphodel. She knew she had to move, but she couldn't look away, glittering lights framing her vision. She saw a shadow at Kronos' heart, twisting and folding as she tried to focus. Her bones vibrated, there was a rapid shaking in her head - she heard herself screaming - Yamato Takeru writhed in the air - the shadow trembled into a shape, a tall slender woman, then a boy on a cross - a hesitant question, a beckoning, a command -

Biting her lower lip, she cut off the scream and jumped into a run, dashing towards the small canyon she and Rise had emerged from seconds before. An Agidyne blasted above her, barely burning the small of her back, but it only made her move faster, pitch headlong for cover. She nearly fell a second time, following Yamato Takeru's darting shape, spells roaring around her. She was too frightened to feel any pain.

The rock walls closed around her, dark and relatively cool. The spellfire didn't slacken, blasting against the walls, close enough that Naoto thought she could feel the air shake and shrivel.

She fell to her hands and knees, breathing hard, legs weaker than she'd realized, shivering as Yamato Takeru descended and vanished, seeping back into her skin. She splayed her arms for balance, muscles agonized, skull twisting like a rag, Yamato Takeru a staccato murmur below her thoughts. This was her Persona's pain. What had Kronos done - been trying to do - to him? To herself.

Thoughts were coming back to her piecemeal - Yamato Takeru's condition, the attendant pain from her own body, Rise getting to safety, her terrible thirst. Her lower lip bled, and she found herself sucking on it - then spat. The saline blood would only make her thirstier. Of course. Remember the basics. _Very well then. Alive for the moment. And trapped. Now what?_

Closing her eyes, she gave herself a moment, an attempt to gather both mental and physical resolve. It was enough to let her stand, tighten her fingers on the pistol. She had to plan. What did she know? Rise had gotten through the gate. She remembered what Souji had said about his room leading to Kronos, and as Rise hadn't scanned any other nearby gates, Naoto assumed Rise must have landed in The Dorm. She'd be safe, unless Kirijo had posted one of her ghosts there. Which wasn't beyond her.

_Nothing seems beyond her._ Naoto pushed the thought aside. _Ghost or not, she was originally a human. She must have her limitations._ She took a bullet wound to the chest - she couldn't simply be a ghost._ And Sanada's on his way to her, and heaven knows if he can actually kill her. What happens if he sides with her?_

The spellfire had finally quieted. Trying to moisten her lips, which felt as chapped and ragged as the surrounding rocks, Naoto approached the wall nearer to Kronos. She'd speed-read several myths concerning Kronos - a Titan, father of the Greek pantheon - but she wasn't sure if they'd been at all helpful. He'd overthrown his father, the embodiment of the sky. He'd swallowed each of his children, the gods, keeping them alive in his body. But his youngest child Zeus had been kept hidden, finally avenging his siblings by killing Kronos, forcing him to disgorge them. Some legends said he was imprisoned and bound in a dreamlike stupor, others that he ruled Elysion. What all this meant in reality, or even if this ghost were Kronos, Naoto wasn't sure. You had to know your opponent to strategize, and Naoto wasn't sure which she knew less, Kronos or Kirijo.

_What was that boy on the cross? _Naoto thought back to the brief vision she'd had of Kronos' heart. She was familiar with the Christian symbol, the history behind it, but she instinctively felt this was something different. She tried to remember any crucifixion linking to a legend of Kronos or Elysion, but she came up with nothing.

_This isn't what I should be focusing on. I need to stay alive._ Therefore, her first plan was to retrace her steps, search for a water source and, though she doubted there was any, food. _Come now, you can do it. It's what your friends would tell you if they were here._

Large tears pushed up her eyes, over the lids. For that moment, she couldn't remember why she'd ever preferred working alone. She would've given so much to know she'd see them again, that they'd all be safe, that she could apologize for all the times she'd been cold or...

No. Not at all. How could she wish her friends here, trapped? Wanting them near, was that love or just selfishness?

_I've always been selfish, wanting them or pushing them away. They're better off clear of this. I wish they'd never come at all. _Swallowing, angry with herself, somehow angry with her friends for caring enough to follow her, she abandoned that line of thought and started walking, too quickly, not able to pace herself.

By the time the clouds had gathered and the sky deepened to red, she'd passed the first gate Takeba had made, then turned in roughly the same direction Takeba and Sanada had taken. She wasn't following them; she was assuming it would lead to more forgiving terrain. She walked until darkness and fatigue almost rendered her blind, then she curled up in the shadow of a boulder and fell into uneasy sleep. She didn't see that Yamato Takeru manifested and stood over her, sword drawn.

* * *

_3.27.16?_

"This is - oh hell." Chie's voice broke, her eyes tearing up.

"What?" Yosuke whirled around, looking for any sign of trouble. The poplar forest was tranquil, shot through with golden morning light. "What's wrong with you?"

"I think this is the forest where I found Aigis-san," Chie said quietly. "It's just - I know we'd barely just met, but it's really sad. She must've died all alone."

"She's a machine," Yosuke said. "Can't she be...rebooted?"

"I wondered that too, but I'm not sure."

"Keep up the pace, guys," Souji called back, though the glance he threw over his shoulder wasn't unkind. After making sure they were still following, he turned his attention to Rise and Kanzeon, who walked alongside him, then to Kanji, several strides ahead.

Chie glanced at Yosuke, then jogged to half the distance between herself and the others, Yosuke not far behind. "What're we gonna do?" she muttered under her breath. "Naoto's going to be - dead, and how're we supposed to take on this Kronos thing?"

"Worry about how we're going to keep Kanji from getting himself killed," Yosuke said grimly. "He's - I can't say I don't know how he feels, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to stop him if I can."

"We can't just walk away. We need to avenge her. I mean, right?"

"We need to take down Kirijo. You know it, I know it, and if you're still going to argue, I'll say that Naoto knew it too."

"I'm...not arguing." Chie sighed and shook her head. "But it's all so... If our goal is to find Kirijo, why are we heading for Kronos?"

Yosuke glanced at Souji. "I think our leader has one of his notions. Either that, or he doesn't want his face transplanted to the bottom of Kanji's boot."

"Knowing him, I'm going to go with notions." Chie lengthened her stride. "Can't be worse than Izanami, right? At least...not _much_ worse?" She walked ahead, then half-stepped back. "We need to stick together, Yosuke. Don't do anything stupid."

"That should be _your _motto," Yosuke retorted.

"No, I meant-" She shook her head again. "It's not important. There's too much going on now." She exhaled sharply, then gave a false smile. "We'll argue when this is over, okay?"

Yosuke raised his eyebrows, unsure how to take the joke. Then shrugged, mind shifting back to more immediate problems. "Whatever. It's a date."

* * *

_3.27.16?_

Kanji knew it wasn't the smart thing to do, but that wasn't the point.

And he knew it wasn't what Naoto would want - a seam down his chest ripped open at just thinking her name - but that wasn't the point either. The point wasn't in dying along with her or bringing her body back or making up for never saying he loved her. Useless, all of it. He hated Naoto right then for being stupid enough to die alone and unprotected. He hated that she was small and weak and her Persona had no curing spells. He hated that she was cocksure and unrelenting and cold. He hated the soft planes of her face and her fine-cut angled eyes. The point was that he refused to walk away and accept that her killer would live.

At the edge of his anger, he was grateful that Souji hadn't argued. He would've gone alone if he had to, but Souji's presence was steadying. As for Rise, he'd forgiven her, had forced himself to acknowledge that she hadn't helped kill Naoto. She was in pain, and he'd hold nothing against her. But he couldn't look at her right now. He hardly thought of Chie and Yosuke, no more than he thought of the scenery.

He didn't notice at first when Rise and Souji stopped, not until the latter said his name. Then he halted and looked back - and noticed the corpse stretched on the rocky slope. It was a man in a dingy business suit, his arms flung over his head. There were four deep gouge marks in his back, a broad gash as if from a sword, but not a drop of blood.

"A ghost," Rise confirmed.

Yosuke had knelt by the corpse's hand. "He's pointing west. Heh, cute." He cleared his throat weakly, forehead pinched. "Do you think it's another memo left by Iori?"

"If it is," Souji said, "they got way off track after they left the graveyard."

"It could happen, if they had to start fighting," Chie said.

"What d'you think, Souji?" Yosuke rose, dusting off his hands. "I keep thinking we need to rendezvous with Iori and the others." Kanji pivoted to face him and Yosuke glanced away.

Chie bit her lower lip. "I...I kind of agree with Yosuke." She winced as she looked at Kanji. "I mean, we have to stop Kirijo, it's what Naoto would've wanted."

"I don't give a damn what Naoto would've wanted," Kanji said.

"Look, let's not get into a fight." Yosuke's tone was calm but firm. "I'll go wherever the rest of you go. I'm just saying we need to keep everything in mind."

Souji stared at the body, deep in thought, then looked up. "Okay, I think it's important to investigate Kronos."

"Fine," Yosuke said equably. "Let's keep going."

"But," Souji went on, "we don't want to lose track of Iori and the others. So-"

"You can't be serious," Chie interrupted. "You're breaking us up?"

"That's right," Souji said, not smiling. "Yosuke and Chie, your Personas are pretty balanced. I want you to head west and see if you find any traces of the others."

"Hell no!" Yosuke said. "You two aren't going up against Kronos without us. You - you don't have a Dia between you!"

"You said getting to Iori is important," Souji argued. "And you're right. Rise'll scan ahead for you, so the moment you sense a living Persona, you'll know where to home in."

"What? Senpai!" Rise was so upset Kanzeon shattered. "No, you're not taking Kronos on without backup! It's - are you two just going to go off and die fighting Kronos because you think you have something to prove?"

Souji didn't flinch. "I want to see Kronos again. As for Kanji, I'm not going to tell him what to do." Kanji was relieved Souji didn't look over as he said that. "Kirijo is masterminding this," Souji went on, "I want you to confront her with every advantage, and Rise is an advantage."

"So come with us," Chie said, angry, pleading. "Neither of you should go do this."

"You don't have to come, senpai," Kanji said after a moment. "I can do this alone."

Souji shrugged with an ease that couldn't be real, then sauntered over to Kanji's side. "I already made my decision."

"Kanji." Yosuke stalked over, standing in front of him. "I don't care if you hit me. Naoto's a dead body, and a dead body is not worth it."

Kanji took a step, raising his fist, shaking - and with an effort, didn't strike. "I ain't doing this for her! And I don't care what anyone says."

Yosuke closed his eyes, pained and exasperated and furious. "Dammit. Souji, I know _you_ aren't in love with her. Why're you doing this?"

Souji hesitated before answering, looking uncharacteristically doubtful. "Because I'm good at seeing to the heart of things." He said this as unremarkably as he could. "And I think understanding Kronos is just as important as understanding Kirijo."

"How're you going to tell us what you understand _if you're dead_?"

"Leave that to us. Let's go." And he turned, not looking back. Rise was crying again, but it couldn't make a difference right then.

Kanji waited until the others had turned, started moving west and were well out of earshot before he said, "If you're doing this to try to stop me-"

"Nah, too much trouble," Souji said. But he gave Kanji a more serious glance, and his tone sobered. "Do what you have to. But I'm not going to stand back and watch you die."

"Dammit, you shoulda gone with the others," Kanji muttered.

* * *

_3.27.16?_

"Going to kill them," Yosuke said under his breath as he, Chie and Rise jogged west, Kanzeon following Rise. "The moment they come back, they are dead. Lunch meat. Dog food."

"Yosuke-"

"Don't start!" he snapped at Chie.

"I just-" She caught her breath. "How are they possibly going to come back?"

"Try and have some faith in them," Yosuke almost shouted, wishing he didn't sound so desperate, because with them heading off - all he had left were miracles to shoot for, and he knew that wouldn't be enough.

"They already know it!" Chie retorted. "Did you see Kanji's face? He just wants to kill that thing or die himself. And Souji - Souji's too - good to make him go alone."

"There's something important about Kronos," Yosuke said. "They're gonna check it out, and then they're going to come back and tell us. Okay?"

Chie burst into tears but kept running. "I don't care how smug you are later, I hope you're right."

* * *

_3.27.16?_

Yukari had run until her legs began trembling again. Gasping for breath, she threw herself to hands and knees, buried nearly to her shoulders in the long grass. Behind her, she heard Akihiko slow, walk over to see that she was all right. Even resting, he never got off his feet, claiming it was better for the muscles.

"Just - a minute," Yukari panted.

"Stop sprinting," Akihiko said. "You need to pace yourself, if we're going to have any strength once we get there."

Yukari shook her head. "I still don't - I can't agree with you." She squeezed her eyes shut, stopping the tears, wondering if he believed her; her face still felt stiff from all her crying yesterday, and she'd hardly managed to sleep. And she was starving. But none of that mattered, after what she'd seen. Bracing one leg, she pushed herself to her feet. "Come on."


	36. Chapter 36

36.

_3.27.16?_

_The terms of our arrangement will be fulfilled. He will be taken down from that cross, and you need not even suffer the guilt of releasing Nyx into the world. You and all you love will be at peace._

_So why do you regret so much?

* * *

_

_3.27.16?_

It was clear Iori's team hadn't had smooth going. Kanzeon kept finding the ghosts' bodies, leading them on a course further west and north. She was, as Souji had so easily put it, an advantage. _An advantage? That's all? Not even moral support?_ Rise shook her head. No, he had the right focus. She had to stop brooding on Souji, blaming herself for Naoto's death - and Souji and Kanji heading towards their own destruction - no, she couldn't stop to think about any of that -

"It's getting dark," she heard Chie say. Was it? Rise dispelled Kanzeon and looked up to see the sky had shifted to pale red. She wasn't surprised; she felt like they'd been going for three days, alternating between walking and running, all of them weak with hunger. How much farther would they have to go? How much more could they take?

"Should we stop to rest?" Rise asked.

Chie stamped her foot. "I hate resting. I don't want to. It feels like - like every second we waste, we lose another chance to stop Kirijo."

Yosuke stepped between the girls, putting on hand on Rise's shoulder, the other at the small of Chie's back. "C'mon, if we stop now, we're going to collapse. Let's just pace ourselves and keep going. With any luck, Iori's group will be resting and we'll catch up with them." They began walking again, Kanzeon materializing.

"I wonder if..." Chie's chin quivered, and she clearly altered what she'd been about to say. "...if the guys are through with Kronos yet?"

"Maybe," Yosuke said flatly.

"It's just a ghost," Chie said; as Yosuke grew more tired, their roles had reversed, Chie the one grasping at excuses and optimism. "Sure, it's powerful, but it can be killed."

"We _think_ it's a ghost," Rise said. "I mean, it's hard to know exactly what it is. It feels like it's parted from its Persona, but there's something else..."

"Hold on," Yosuke said. "I didn't think of that. What kind of Persona does _that_ thing have? It _looks_ like a friggin' Persona."

"It isn't," Rise said. "I can tell that much."

* * *

_3.27.16?_

They hadn't stopped to rest. Kanji wasn't tired, and Souji hadn't shown any signs of slackening. They'd crossed the cliffs, finding themselves facing badlands, the ground only relieved by scattered boulders and rock formations. Far away, they could barely make out more ridges lit by a faint bronze haze. Souji paused and studied the glow, then nodded. "I think that's him."

Kanji didn't answer. Vaguely, he wondered why he wasn't more tired or hungry, but he was grateful he didn't feel much of anything. Even his anger had cooled to a hard lump in his chest, painful but bearable.

Souji tensed, angling his blade up. Kanji followed his sight line to a cluster of boulders to their right. It was almost full night, the rocks nothing but black smudges in the red darkness. Neither waiting for a question nor offering an explanation, Souji evoked, Izanagai-no-Okami plunging forward, a shaft of brilliance. The two young men ran, followed Izangai's trajectory, Kanji evoking as he went. There was the blast of gunfire, then a woman's scream.

Something jumped in Kanji's chest, and he ran faster. Izanagi flashed out of the rocks, his attack halted by Souji. There was another retort, the bullet passing harmlessly through Izanagi.

Which made it clear it wasn't Naoto. Izanagi dove. The woman cried out again.

Souji and Kanji halted in the rock-cluster, weapons raised, Rokuten Maoh looming behind Kanji. Izanagi-no-Okami stood over the prone form of a woman, a gun lying just beyond her hand. She wore a blouse and knee-length skirt, her blonde hair splayed over her face, half-obscuring her wide eyes. Izanagi's polearm was angled to her chest. Kanji swallowed, disappointment burning in his stomach.

"Who are you?" Souji asked.

The woman turned her eyes to look at them, then reached for her gun; there was a bloodless gash that nearly bisected her arm lengthwise. They could see the muscles and tendons flex, looking artificial without any blood. "I - I'm no one. Let me go."

"Where is Kirijo?" Souji asked. Kanji couldn't bring himself to speak; it would be easier to just move on.

The ghost's voice shook. "I can't tell you." She wore high heels, her nails gleaming with an expensive manicure. She'd probably never had to use a gun before tonight. "You won't find her."

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for someone. That's all. You - you don't need to fight me." Somehow, her fingers hooked on the pistol. The polearm's blade pressed against her collar bone. Glancing, Kanji saw that Souji's face was tense. He had to hate doing this. Kanji tried to care, then wondered why he bothered.

"Who are you looking for?"

"If I tell you, will you let me live?"

"If you don't attack us," Souji said carefully, "we'll let you live." He paused. "If you can call that living."

The ghost flinched. "Of course I'm alive. I - I never needed-" She looked away, then up at Izanagi-no-Okami, staring into his mask. She pressed her lips together for a moment. "Would mine have...been like that? I never even saw it before she took it."

"Kirijo?" Souji asked. "She took your Persona?"

"That's not important," she said quickly. And then, "She said it was to save someone's life. What else could I do?"

Souji waited a moment, then repeated, "Who are you looking for."

The woman didn't even glance over, studying Izanagi. "Shirogane."

Kanji took a step towards her, more angry than hopeful. "What?"

"Why?" Souji asked. "Is she alive? Where is she?"

The woman's eyes widened again with alarm. "I don't know. She just told me to look here. I don't think she was sure where Shirogane would be."

"Drop the gun," Souji said. The woman blinked, then obeyed. Izanagi fluidly sidestepped and crushed the pistol under his bladed foot. Without another word, Souji left the boulders at a run, Kanji behind.

"What're you doing?" Kanji asked roughly. "She's not alive."

"Kirijo thinks she is," Souji said. "And she knows this place better than any of us."

"Shut up." Emotion was building in Kanji again, and it was the last thing he wanted. He'd made his choice, couldn't he be left to just do it? He wasn't going to be toyed with; there was no point in hoping. He wasn't going to call her name. He had to hold it together.

They'd been running for about five minutes when, at the edge of his vision, he saw a slim white figure lift out of the darkness.

Without thinking, he pivoted and ran towards it. He and Souji both came at a run.

Yamato Takeru, blood streaming down his front, pouring from beneath his helmet, lofted higher into the air, revealing a small shape curled in the lee of a boulder. Somehow, Kanji ran faster.

Pain split his face. He stumbled to one knee, bringing his trash can lid up, missing whatever had struck him. Rokuten Maoh's sword lashed out, and Kanji felt it connect with something much smaller.

"What's-" Souji started, then Kanji heard the ring of metal striking Izanagi's polearm.

Kanji blinked, staggering to his feet, blood running into his left eye from the shallow swipe across his forehead. He saw Yamato Takeru's white shape describe a graceful arc through the air before a rain of Megidolaon fell on him. He brought his shield up to block, feeling the spell run through him, cold and hot together. Lowering his shield, he saw Izanagi-no-Okami lunge at Yamato Takeru, drawing his blade up the smaller Persona's stomach. Blood fanned down, a brighter red than the sky.

"What the hell-" Kanji stared as Yamato Takeru faltered, then stabilized himself, lifting his sword to cast Mahamaon. Kanji stepped back as the light sigil appeared before him, but it shattered without taking effect. "Why's she - _Naoto!_"

"Something's wrong," Souji panted, casting Ziodyne, veins of light thrusting through Yamato Takeru. "Why's he bleeding?"

Kanji suddenly realized it too; Personas didn't bleed. He risked a glance at Naoto's form - she hadn't moved - was she even controlling her Persona?

Yamato Takeru surged towards him. Kanji hesitated - Rokuten Maoh had time to intervene, counterattack - but he only brought his shield up, letting the sword shriek through the cheap metal, barely clear his face.

"Come on!" he heard Souji shout. "We have to stop him!"

"But-"

"It won't hurt her!" It never had before. But then, Personas had never bled before, had never attacked by themselves before. Every rule seemed to be changing.

High above them, Yamato Takeru set himself, preparing for another attack. With luck, he could kill both of them in less than a second. They didn't _know_ hurting Yamato Takeru would hurt Naoto - necessarily. But despite the names, the shapes, the powers, and all the masks a Persona represented, Yamato Takeru was Naoto. Though it took only a heartbeat, Kanji had ample time to hate himself as Rokuten Maoh attacked, fiery sword arcing down, slashing Yamato Takeru's stomach open, through to the spine.

Yamato Takeru recoiled, bringing his knees to his chest, then fell limp and dropped. He vanished before he could hit the ground.

The next thing he knew - though he couldn't remember running - Kanji had slumped to his knees at Naoto's side and was rolling her onto her back. Souji stepped close behind him, holding his card to provide light. Naoto's head lolled, exposing her throat. With a relief so sudden it was like nausea, Kanji realized he didn't have to check for a pulse; he could see her breathing. He exhaled, whispered something - he wasn't sure what - probably a curse. Souji's hand was on his shoulder.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Kanji asked after a moment, voice cracking, hands on her arms.

Naoto's eyelids tensed, then parted slightly, each showing only a dark glimmer of eye. Souji's hand left his shoulder, and Kanji heard him shift his stance, bracing. With a jolt, Kanji remembered that Naoto had been trying to kill them.

Well, if she was going to try it again, tough shit. He held his ground, looking down into her face.

Naoto's eyes widened with surprise, moving from him, to Souji, back to him. Her voice didn't come at first. "...h-how?"

Souji crouched down next to Kanji. "All right there, Naoto-kun?"

Kanji released a shaky breath. "Friggin' asshole - what the - we were - I-" And then he broke off because he realized she was crying. She didn't sob, and she'd bitten her lower lip to keep it from shaking, but the tears trailed down her dirty temples, gathering in her hair. Kanji swallowed, his throat closing, amazed and aghast he'd managed to hurt her feelings. "...Sorry."

But Naoto didn't seem aware of a single thing either of them had said. "How did you find me?"

Souji shrugged and smiled. "We wandered around, honestly."

Naoto bit her lip harder, closed her eyes for a long moment, then pushed herself into a sitting position, fingers coming to her forehead. Kanji's hands dropped from her. "How long have I... What day is it?"

"We think it's the twenty seventh," Souji said, his fond tone growing serious. "Naoto, do you know your Persona attacked us?"

Naoto raised her head to look at him. "What?"

"Yamato Takeru came at us when we tried to approach you. He was bleeding."

"_What?"_ Naoto repeated, fear in her voice. She lifted her palm and crushed her card. Both Kanji and Souji braced as Yamato Takeru manifested above them, but he seemed quiescent. He hung limply, head bowed forward, stomach torn through, blood broadly staining his elegant uniform. Kanji flinched, shamed.

"We're sorry," Souji said, "we had to stop him. He..." He should have healed by now. Another rule that had been broken.

"Kronos," Naoto whispered. "He did something to Yamato Takeru. I felt it."

"How?"

Naoto stared numbly at her Persona. "It was like Kronos was trying to rip him from me." She closed her eyes, grimacing, and the Persona vanished. "I don't know how I stopped him. I just escaped."

"If Kronos was trying to part you from Yamato Takeru," Souji reasoned, "then...I guess that could account for your Persona acting on his own. But, parted or not, Yamato Takeru is you."

Kanji waited for her to open her eyes. When she didn't, he had to speak. "So you want to hurt us? Part of you?"

Naoto turned her face to her shoulder, away from them both. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I've - spent much of my time lately wishing none of you were here. But I - I thought it was because I wanted to protect you. I didn't want you following me into danger. I didn't-"

"You know what?" Kanji interrupted brusquely. "I can't count the number of times I've wanted to bash one of my friends' faces in, just because they were being pricks. It happens to all of us."

"Yeah," Souji said after a second. "You want us safe, and we keep throwing ourselves at danger. You have a right to be frustrated."

Naoto still didn't look at them, and her voice was thick. "Are you - are you two mocking me? I'm sorry. I'm not a very good friend. I wanted you all gone so I didn't have to worry-"

"Just shut the hell up!" Kanji broke in. "You worry about us and then head off on your own into a shitstorm like this? Dammit, I don't care if you're all right, you still piss me off!"

Naoto jerked around to face him, eyes wide - then narrowed - then she blinked and bit her lip again, blood picking the edges of her teeth. Kanji wished she'd stop, but that was irrelevant, especially when he was still furious with her.

"I'm sorry," Naoto said, voice too even.

Kanji stood. "Did I ask for an apology?" Reaching his hand out, he hoisted her to her feet. Then, as she was toppling anyway, he slung his arms around her and pressed her to himself, feeling a tangle of emotions he couldn't begin to consider. He didn't even have the space to be shocked that he was, after five years of guiltily thinking about it, holding Naoto Shirogane. She barely came up to the middle of his chest, held there by one of his arms. Feeling that she was still trembling, he was about to put his other hand on her waist to support her when she raised one fist, hauled back and hit his side as hard as she could.

Didn't hurt in the slightest. Still, he released her, stepping back, stoked and appalled at himself all at once. Naoto, paler than before, was breathing hard, staring wide-eyed at him. Kanji's hand twitched up to sheepishly rub the back of his neck - stopped midway. There was still only a foot between them. Naoto hadn't taken her eyes from him. Mouth dry, Kanji hitched his sleeve over his hand, and he gently pressed it to her lower lip, catching the blood. She didn't move.

About then, Kanji remembered that, years ago, he'd met a guy, a certain Souji Seta. A certain Souji Seta he still knew. A certain Souji Seta who was standing just to his right, probably sponging all of this up. His hand jerked away as he turned to glare - and there was Souji Seta, but he'd walked a few meters off, his back to them - but the moment was broken. By the time he turned, Naoto had stepped away, gingerly bending to retrieve her cap. She straightened, one hand on the boulder to steady herself, and asked, businesslike, "Do either of you have any water?"

Hearing the shift in her voice, Souji turned around, hands in pockets. "Sorry."

"It can't be helped." She cleared her throat, smoothing her hair and putting on the cap. She didn't look any less bedraggled - dusty, scraped, scorched - but she seemed to draw some benefit from it. "What about the others?"

"They're angry," Souji said. "Sit down and we'll explain."

"I don't need to sit," Naoto clipped, not looking in Kanji's direction. "I'm fine."

"That's super," Souji said. "But we just got out of a fight. We need a breather."

Naoto sat, but the slight tilt to her chin implied it was for their benefit. Kanji, still trying to absorb all that had happened, was the last to sit. He was glad Souji was willing to explain, because, at the moment, he wasn't sure he could say anything.


	37. Chapter 37

37.

_3.27.16?_

Tired, dehydrated and hungry as they were, Naoto didn't let them rest long. About two minutes into Souji's recounting of the past day, she stood and suggested they talk as they travel, turning their steps west. It seemed impossible that they could catch up with the others, but there was no alternative. She walked apart from both boys, back straight, doing her utmost to project an aura of resolve, control, and unhuggableness.

"If Yamato Takeru and Kanzeon manifested on their own like that," Souji said as Naoto paused, swallowing in an effort to get some moisture back into her mouth, "it might mean that just being near Kronos can affect Personas."

"That's what I'm counting on," Naoto said, glancing to the left. She could see the darkest shadows that were the raised canyons surrounding Kronos, his fitful glow now behind them; they were all holding their cards to see by. "With that in mind, I intend to put as much distance between myself and Kronos as I can. Hopefully I will regain control. And perhaps it will heal Yamato Takeru's wounds," she added in an undertone. What had Kronos done? All the asking in the world didn't bring her closer to an answer.

"I would've liked to see Kronos again," Souji said, the set of his eyebrows momentarily betraying frustration, "but we can't risk losing control of our Personas."

"What about those shadows you saw?" Kanji said suddenly. (Naoto tensed. He hadn't said anything since...hugging her, and that had made it easier for her to pretend he didn't exist.) "That Kronos showed you, inside of him. Did those look like Personas?"

"No," Naoto said. "At least, not like any Personas I've seen before." She cast her mind back. "A boy on a cross and then a tall woman..." She blinked, amazed she hadn't recognized the graceful outline immediately. "It's Kirijo."

Souji glanced back. "What?"

"The woman at Kronos' heart. Her features were indistinct but - I'm almost sure of it."

"The hell does that mean?" Kanji asked. "Kronos and Kirijo are the same thing?"

Naoto stumbled, lost in thought. "I...Perhaps. I found her birth records weeks ago, but I don't know that Kronos can't incarnate himself as a..." She shook her head. "This sounds ridiculous, but-"

"But for all we know, you're right," Souji said.

"No more ridiculous than a goddess working a gas pump," Kanji said.

"But why lie in wait until now?" Naoto wondered. "Or perhaps Kirijo is dead, and the woman we've been fighting is only a double? And...I wish I understood the Nyx confrontation better. Is there some clue there?"

"I know you're a detective," Souji said, "but we're going to have trouble figuring out a motive and a means here. We just need to get to Kirijo." No one mentioned how difficult it would be to find their teammates, let alone Kirijo.

* * *

_3.27.16?_

Yukari wasn't surprised Akihiko had a penlight. He was a policeman, used to being prepared. More importantly, he'd been in the original SEES under Mitsuru's command. More and more, Yukari was realizing that Mitsuru was beyond prepared, and she, Yukari, might as well still be a headstrong second-year.

The small white light rippled over the long grass; there were no obstructions, hardly any trees, and the light didn't extend far enough for them to see much of what lay ahead. Yukari could smell saltwater, which meant they were coming to the western rim of Elysion, which Mitsuru had called an island. She slid her hand into her pocket, curling her fingers around her Evoker. Any minute now, she might be called on to use it. She swallowed hard, throat dry above her rapidly beating heart.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Souji insisted they rest at some point that might have been midnight. Naoto knew he and Kanji had been tossing her careful glances, wondering how hurt she still was and how much more she could take and whether someone should offer to piggyback her - and if one of them so much as tried, she wasn't sure what she'd say, only that it would involve language she normally avoided. Because it didn't matter if she was small and female, she was as strong as both of them put together.

So when Souji suggested they sit down for a minute or two, she glared at him. Souji glanced at Kanji, who cleared his throat and started to say something conciliatory - but then Naoto lasered her glare on him, because he'd better not say _anything_, he'd hugged her, and if he said something, especially something gentle, she was going to throw a tantrum right there, tears, fists, everything. Some fraction of her thoughts must have been translated into her glare because Kanji didn't get past the first syllable. He looked back at Souji. Souji rolled his shoulders in a shrug, then lowered himself to the ground. Kanji followed suit. And then because - only because - it was inadvisable to go on without them, Naoto knelt, feeling her legs tremble momentarily.

Sitting, her head was clearer. Throw a tantrum? Honestly, she hadn't thrown a tantrum in years. She was overwrought, that was all. No, she wasn't even overwrought. Merely tired.

And unaccustomed to being hugged, particularly by a male. Rise was fond of, as she put it, glomping Naoto, and the other girls sometimes joined in because apparently it was so much fun to see Naoto flail like that. But she didn't have to ask to know that Kanji hadn't been teasing her. He'd only been supporting her - she didn't need that - and - and what? Why had she hit him? Because she didn't need his help, he should already realize that - if he thought she was fragile like Yukiko or Rise -

It wasn't simple wounded pride that made her hope Kanji didn't think she was fragile. Because Yukiko's delicate grace, Rise's sparkling helplessness, neither were traits she wanted to possess, nor wanted Kanji to hope she had... She kneaded her forehead, dropping that thread of thought before she could untangle it. It didn't matter what Kanji thought. It didn't matter what any of them thought. She was Naoto Shirogane, whatever or whoever Naoto Shirogane had to be.

_And you were surprised that Yamato Takeru tried to kill them? _She let out a painful sigh. She'd be able to think if only she had some water.

She had to shear away these thoughts. She had to accept that she had friends, with all the joys and inconveniences that entailed. And sometimes they worried about you, and sometimes they put themselves on the line because of you, and sometimes they hugged you and it made you feel sick and terrified because -

_I'd still rather not need my friends. Is that it? Do I need them? Are they burdens and proof of my own dependence? Am I afraid they'll be hurt because of what I've done? All of this, Kirijo, Elysion, if I'd just stayed away, they'd be safe. No, that's not true, but... Am I afraid because I know that despite all the gestures we make, there's no way we can save each other?_

She winced, remembering how Kanji had touched her mouth, then winced with real pain as she realized she was pressing the back of her hand against her lip. She let her hand fall to her lap, only hoped he wasn't watching because she refused to look up.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

_I came to you because I understand this boy's pain better than any other can, for all their love of him. I alone share the torture of being bound to Nyx's will. _

_I promised that you will know nothing but peace. You have lulled yourself with this promise often, have you not?_

_I found it odd that such an intelligent woman never questioned my altruism. But then you wouldn't, after seeing my heart.

* * *

_

_3.28.16?_

Souji was glad nobody started arguing, because they did need a rest, all of them, and with Naoto so keyed up, he wasn't sure what would happen. Though she'd made an art of appearing cool and unflappable, it was quite possible for Naoto to fly off the handle (just_ try_ taking a hit for her, even one from a fake knife held by her own secretary), and it wasn't fun to be on the receiving end of her miniature indignation. He was glad for Kanji's sake as well, because the big guy would take Naoto's anger much more personally than Souji ever had.

Souji glanced at Naoto, taking in her posture, spine curved, elbows on knees, one hand to her forehead. She was doing her best to stay alert; Souji knew she felt she had to be able to think, react quickly and correctly, or she wouldn't have anything. There wasn't any time to consider her various shallow wounds or the burn on her back, which was more worrisome to Souji.

Looking over, Souji saw that Kanji was likewise watching Naoto, with a focus and concern he usually devoted to crafting complex plushies. For a moment, Souji found himself pitying Kanji. The guy deserved a break after mooning over Naoto for so long. And how much did Naoto really notice Kanji anyway? If she cared about him even as a friend, how could she have missed all the hints Kanji had let fall (shouted at the top of his lungs)? If she was ever going to reciprocate, wouldn't it have happened by now? He wondered if he should say something to Kanji, try to convince him to move on.

That didn't sit easily in Souji's mind, and not because he was afraid of Kanji flattening him for suggesting that Naoto was less than his perfect match. If Kanji was ever going to get over Naoto, wouldn't it have happened by now? Were the two of them at some eternal emotional stalemate?

"Are you planning?" Naoto asked without looking up.

"Oh hell, I am not stepping into the middle of this," Souji said before he realized it was out loud. As both Kanji and Naoto turned to stare at him with identical looks of consternation, Souji cleared his throat and said, "I don't want to rush into this. If we're going to stop Kirijo, we're going to have to do it fast, but we're going to have to plan so we get it right the first time."

"We need to meet up with the others before we can really plan," Naoto said, impatience pulling her voice tight.

Souji swung to his feet. "Then let's meet up with them."

He liked both of them, he'd take a bullet for either, he'd carry either on his back if he had to (or if he could), but Souji didn't envy Kanji and Naoto whatever bizarre thing they had going for them. By comparison, finding their teammates and figuring out how to stop Kirijo was a more straightforward impossibility.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

They heard the step in the darkness, the rustling in the grass. Akihiko swung his light around, the other hand raising his Evoker. Yukari caught her breath, fingers clenching on her Evoker's grip.

"You are expected," the robot said evenly. Kampe. Despite her recent battles, she appeared to be in working condition, her face flawed by the thinnest fracture line along her jaw. She turned. "Come this way."

"Hold on!" Yukari took a step forward. Kampe halted and looked back without fear or surprise. "What were your orders?"

"To take you to Ms. Kirijo."

"Before that. Your orders before that." When the robot didn't answer, Yukari shouted, "Tell me!"

Kampe paused while processing this. "My orders do not concern you."

"Like hell." Yukari struggled to keep control, but the images came too quickly, the light stabbing through the poplar branches, the flash of white she'd seen, too distant for her to know what it really was. "Aigis. I found her in the forest, you - you killed her, didn't you?"

Another pause while Kampe's expression didn't change. "I have failed to retrieve the Personas Athena, Orpheus, Psyche."

"Is that all she is, a list of Personas? What did - Mitsuru didn't order you to kill her."

"I was ordered to contain the Personas. Come with me."

"Mitsuru _didn't_ order you to kill her!"

"Yukari," Akihiko said, warning, "calm down. We have to get to Mitsuru."

Yukari took a deep breath. "I know you don't care about Minato. And it looks like you don't give a damn for Aigis. But give me a moment so I can figure out what's going on!"

"Yukari, she ordered Aigis' death, she's not-" Akihiko's voice broke off.

"Not the Mitsuru we used to know? Oh, then I guess you won't care when you kill her! She-" Yukari squeezed her eyes shut. "She didn't order Aigis' death, she can't have."

"Come with me."

Yukari parted her stinging eyelids and turned to face the automaton, taking in her impassive countenance, her hands hanging at her sides. As useless as it was, she wished she had the power to force some emotion onto that mask - fear, anger, even triumph. Her voice came more softly than she expected. "You did kill Aigis."

"My orders," Kampe said. "Come with me."

Yukari shook her head. "I don't care if you're a robot, how can you say that so easily? How would - how would you like being hurt, getting your second self taken from you?"

Kampe hesitated, processing. As the silence built, she showed none of the awkwardness a human would have felt, her face too blank even for calmness. Finally, she offered the best answer her programming could create: "I am not a person."

"Prove it. Don't evoke," Yukari retorted. And set her Evoker between her own eyes.


	38. Chapter 38

38.

_3.28.16?_

_Born from the same seed as Tartarus, Elysion was never meant to be encountered by humans. It is the realm of dead Personas, order and stasis, and has no bearing on mortals. By rights, I should have no quarrel with Nyx.

* * *

_

_3.28.16?_

Isis swept forward, carrying Garudyne on her wings, thrusting Kampe into the air. The robot flipped, landing squarely, a storm of bullets shooting from her arm. Yukari threw herself to the ground, missing most but gasping as four punched into her legs, one shattering her knee cap. She automatically cast Diarahan, trying to watch as Akihiko's fist rammed Kampe from the side, followed by an uppercut that would have broken a human's jaw, if not her neck. Kampe's black visor flashed down, spider-webbed with cracks, and she evoked, her scorpion-tailed Persona unfurling above her.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

_But it seems Nyx believed there could be only one seat of power and so bound me in my own realm. She could not count on being able to kill me herself, and she never realized she only gave me my leisure._

_Stop struggling.

* * *

_

_3.28.16?_

Yukari didn't give herself time to test how well her knee would hold. She surged to her feet, evoking again. As Akihiko dodged Kampe's Persona, Isis blasted the robot a second time. Kampe twisted back to her feet, shot a volley of bullets at Akihiko as he ran towards her. Yukari cast Diarahan, watching as bullets gouged Akihiko's face and body, bleeding cavities that were healed so quickly Yukari felt sick. Whether or not he sensed the pain, Akihiko didn't slow his attacks.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Naoto ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth; every inch seemed to have been ground with dust, and her throat stabbed whenever she swallowed. She'd sucked on a pebble as she walked, generating saliva, but it couldn't re-hydrate her, and she eventually spat it out. She just kept walking, numbing herself to discomfort as she followed the points of light that were Souji's and Kanji's cards, her own card in front of her, tried not to notice how they sometimes wavered, their edges melting to red darkness.

They seemed to have finally regained the others' trail, coming across more corpses, fallen ghosts. With luck, they'd catch up. She kept coaxing herself to believe that, but she'd never been one for luck.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Akihiko's fist caught Kampe across the face, and her visor cracked inward, breaking into two jagged-toothed halves, one eye showing through. Her Persona flashed down, tail stabbing Akihiko through the chest, ripping back out, taking tissue with it. Yukari was already curing - she could feel the split second before Akihiko died, and she reversed it. Akihiko gave ground, evoking, lightning rioting around Kampe.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Naoto must have been in a deep sleep, because she felt dead and stiflingly nauseous as she stirred. Her head was throbbing, and she pressed her forehead against the ground in a fruitless attempt to stop it. She vaguely wondered when she'd fallen asleep, then why the ground was tilted so steeply, then why it was sweaty.

She instinctively kicked first, a half-hearted twitch of her right foot, then realized she was being piggybacked, probably by Kanji (judging from the muscle), and then she really kicked, her heel punching his thigh.

She didn't notice they'd been moving until Kanji stumbled and stopped abruptly. She heard Souji's voice. "Awake there, Naoto-kun?" She cracked her eyes, about all she could do for the moment, and she saw the glimmer of Izanagi-no-Okami's card. Focusing better, she could see Souji's face illuminated above it, standing close. "Don't kill us, but you fainted."

Dry-tongued and exhausted, Naoto wasn't equal to speech. She expressed her indignation by kicking Kanji again.

"You aren't getting put down unless you want us to drag you by the ankles," Souji said with a firmness he didn't often have to use. "Which we'll do, if that's how you want it." He waited on her silence, then amended his tone. "You'd do the same for us, Naoto-kun."

Naoto tensed her leg to kick again (suddenly noticing that Kanji was gripping her upper legs), but she'd already seen the reasoning behind their actions. That didn't make it less humiliating, and it certainly didn't help her forget that she, unlike them, would never be as strong as an adult. She dropped her lids, defeated, but she mustered the strength for a parting shot. It was going to be, "I am cognizant of my slight stature and underdeveloped muscles, but I have a pistol as well as 20-20 vision and therefore remain more than capable of shellacking both of your asses, fair fight or unfair," but it ended up as "Where...hat?"

"It kept falling off," Souji said. "Kanji's carrying it in his teeth."

"Mphm," said Kanji.

Naoto sighed into his back, her forehead against the top of his spine. Their strength must fail eventually. How would they face Kirijo then? If she was going to die, wasn't she relieved she had friends alongside her? She wasn't sure.

In a moment, she felt them start walking again.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Kampe landed an iron-hard kick to Akihiko's face, crunching his nose, his cheek caved in. He sidestepped, then fumbled to the ground, face-down. Before Yukari could react, Kampe was on her, backhanding her across the forehead. The world toppled and Yukari was down, fragrant grass around her, Kampe's foot in the middle of her chest. There was the warm press of metal between Yukari's eyes, which was a familiar feeling, but it wasn't an Evoker, it was Kampe's gun. Yukari stared into the robot's eye, the pure brown lens, the pupil contracted and focused.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

_You thought it noble when you claimed you would do whatever it took to save a friend's life. No price was ever too high. _

_And you had always been willing to hurt your friends.

* * *

_

_3.28.16?_

"Yukari Takeba," Kampe said. "Akihiko Sanada. My master regrets the loss of every Persona, and the loss of her friends." Yukari wasn't sure, but she thought the robot's voice sounded less automated. "She hopes to preserve your lives, but she demands your cooperation. No price is too high."

"Then why did you kill Aigis?" Yukari's voice shook. "If Mitsuru wants us safe and alive?" Hoping Kampe wouldn't notice, she rearranged her grip on the Evoker, holding it at her side but angling it towards her head. "This isn't about Mitsuru."

Kampe's pupil narrowed to a pinprick at Aigis' name. She leaned forward, driving more weight into Yukari's chest. "Humans know they will always die. My sisters and I only find repose at the hands of others."

"I don't give a damn." She hooked her finger around the trigger. "You want repose?"

Akihiko crashed into Kampe, her foot stabbing into Yukari's chest as she fell to the side, bullets spraying in a crescent, far from their intended marks.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

The next time Naoto came to, she knew she really was on the ground. She could feel grass under her cheek, and her knees were drawn close in her preferred sleeping position. She squinted. From what she could see (and she was still having trouble focusing, her head pounding while white spots drifted in her eyes) the sky had lightened to a hazy red. Black grass loomed around her, and to her left, she saw the silhouettes of asphodels, bowing in a gentle breeze. On her other side, she could hear Souji and Kanji talk. Much as she tried to make out the words, or even gauge how close they were, she couldn't concentrate.

Exhausted by this diminutive effort, she closed her eyes again. As her mind shifted, subsumed under layers of sleep, she felt Kanji's hand pass over her face, pull the hair out of her eyes, trace her eyebrow and cheekbone. She didn't even wonder if it was Souji. Her hand twitched, couldn't quite form a fist. Outrage. Fury. Offended dignity. All would come. Later though. Once she could move again.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Face streaming with blood, Akihiko kneed Kampe in the stomach, forcing her onto her back, wrenching her gun arm around. Caesar manifested, and, swinging his heavy sword down, severed the arm. Kampe didn't flinch or cry out in pain. Her face didn't change at all. Staggering to her feet, holding a hand to her chest, Yukari fought for concentration, healing herself and Akihiko.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Feeling Souji's eyes on him, Kanji twitched around, pulling his hand away from Naoto's face. But either Kanji was paranoid or Souji had excellent reflexes, because Souji was staring off into the distance, the west, where the sky was still a deep burgundy. Hoping Souji's attention would stay there, Kanji turned back to the sleeping detective. Part of him was glad she was resting so completely; the other was beyond alarmed, because this was too quiet, even for Naoto. He'd thought for sure she'd wake up when he touched her face, wheel on him furiously, which wouldn't have been ideal, but at least it would've been like her. That had been part of why he'd done it, that and - what? Because there was no chance she'd let him do it while she was awake? Because, no matter what was happening around them, he wanted to be near her? He wanted to make some difference for her? Was there any way to put this that didn't make it sound pathetic? He'd thought of covering her with his jacket and now didn't dare.

"There," Souji said. Kanji looked over. In the distance, they saw a bright point of light - Susano-o. Several hours ago, Souji had begun evoking at regular intervals, sending Izanagi high into the air. By now, they didn't care whether a friend or foe found their location; either would bring them closer to Kirijo. Finally, they'd seen an answer - the blue light of Susano-o manifesting repeatedly to the west. (Only now did Kanji wonder how they recognized it as Susano-o, as opposed to any other Persona. Weary as they were, in need of healing, he vaguely wondered how much of their rationale was unraveling to instinct.)

Since then, Souji and Yosuke alternated between evoking, Yosuke guiding Souji's team. "We're definitely closer this time," Souji said as Susano-o's distant light winked out. He stood, even his legs trembling from fatigue, and watched as Kanji clamped the hat brim in his teeth, then hoisted Naoto onto his back. Kanji managed not to show his own exhaustion, though he was glad Naoto was so light.

"I could carry the hat," Souji offered. Tentatively.

"Nnnh," said Kanji.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Caesar crashed down on Kampe's remaining arm, mangling it. Kampe stared blankly up, eyes glassy beneath the shattered edge of her visor.

Yukari looked away. "I don't care. I don't care at all. This isn't going to bring her back - and you're not worth it." Tears rolled down her face, dropping onto her shirt, useless as everything else. "You're right. You're not a person. But she was."

Kampe's pupils widened, and the fingers on her crushed arm clenched. Akihiko blasted Ziodyne into her face, then stood, watching as lightning caged her head, her limbs spasming, almost like a human's. "I-I-I am I - I am n-not a-"

Her limbs, still controlled by agonized machinery, continued to twitch, and nothing in her face changed. If Yukari still somehow knew she was dead, did that argue Kampe actually had a soul?

Yukari wiped the blood and tears from her face, then, though her strength was failing, cast Mediarahan.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

"I can only wonder what they're all thinking...how much they've figured out."

_They've come to the conclusion they never knew you at all._

"That's not true."

_Perhaps they knew you up until a point. Until last winter, they knew you. But they never knew you'd be capable of this._

"I am not capable of this."


	39. Chapter 39

39.

_3.28.16?_

They didn't know exactly where Kampe would have led them, but they were certain Mitsuru was close. Yukari remembered this area from her first trip to Elysion, when Mitsuru had coolly told her the Kirijo mansion was going to collapse and the household must escape. By then, Yukari had been too rattled to ask where they were going.

_I should've kept arguing - I shouldn't have just gone along - but - _But her mind always returned to Minato. This was their chance to save him and protect the world from Nyx forever. As Yukari tried to draw resolve from this, her thoughts trailed back to Aigis. Aigis fighting Death on a dark bridge, Aigis sitting with Minato's head in her lap, Aigis battling Yukari for the keys. Aigis accompanying her through school, Aigis failing Trigonometry for the third time, Aigis surrounded by boxes at a store, looking for shoes she could walk in. Aigis abandoned in the poplar forest, her eyes shattered into hundreds of flat shards.

She'd been walking quickly, spurred by her thoughts, but she pitched into an unsteady shuffle as the ground suddenly dropped, studded with dark boulders and asphodels. At the base of the slope was grassland, scattering quickly into a sandy shore. The sea was dark as garnet, the rising light flaring its caps bright red. A lone figure sat on a rock right at the sea's edge, looking out over the waves. The wind lifted her long hair.

Akihiko had halted alongside Yukari, drawing a short breath. He started down the slope at a run.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

She sat with the toes of her boots almost touching the water, back straight, hands folded on legs, chin tucked in. She could hear them coming, could tell by their movements that it was only Yukari and Akihiko, and though she'd wanted to see them for so long, she didn't turn her head.

"Mitsuru!" Akihiko's voice. No pretense of a surprise attack. She found herself listening for any vestige of affection in his voice, then stopped.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, praying it would end quickly. She waited until their footsteps stopped, muffled in the sand, then opened her eyes and looked at them, knowing her expression would be lost in the half-light. Akihiko took a step towards her, the anxiety in his face at odds with his clenched fist.

"Hold on." Yukari's voice shook, then took on the stubborn firmness Mitsuru was more accustomed to. "Mitsuru, did you tell Kampe to kill Aigis?"

"I'm trying to save Minato," Mitsuru said with that even detachment she hated.

She could see Yukari was waiting for something else, an amendment or an explanation. Her eyes narrowed. "You - That's not an answer."

"If you won't help me," Mitsuru said, "it means you're going to stand against me. That's it."

"You're not serious!" Yukari shouted, as if trying to convince Mitsuru. "Say something that makes sense." Mitsuru didn't answer, studying Yukari's face, remembering how she'd looked exactly like that as she'd fought to rescue Minato. And Mitsuru had fought alongside her. "I thought you were - I thought you'd only attacked Akihiko because he wanted to kill you. Aigis _wouldn't_ have killed you!"

"Aigis would have killed me, in the end," Mitsuru said, looking away from Akihiko.

"You promised me you wouldn't actually kill anyone, you'd only - you'd only strip away their Personas."

"And when Kampe failed to subdue Aigis, killing her was the only option." Mitsuru swallowed, a cold burn running up her throat as she tried to remain silent. "It's just easier to destroy you."

"Stop it! Sound like yourself!"

"Yukari," Mitsuru said. "Akihiko. You-" She winced. "You have no idea how grateful I am that you're angry." It was easier to look away, rather than speak.

"Who's controlling you?" Akihiko asked. She could hear him take several steps toward her. "Is it Kronos?"

"No one's controlling me," Mitsuru said. "All I'm doing is saving Minato. That's all we wanted." She closed her eyes, but found that made it harder to struggle. "We'll all see him again, we'll be with him, and Nyx will be destroyed. He can relinquish his cross."

"You'll take our Personas from us," Akihiko said. "We might see Minato again, but we'll still be dead."

"It's not the same as dying because-" For a moment, Yukari seemed to jump at the distraction, the chance to argue Akihiko down and forget what Mitsuru herself was saying. But she couldn't.

"It won't be for long," Mitsuru whispered. She opened her eyes, clenched her fists, and was finally able to say something. "For Aigis, it was even shorter. But I - wish she'd lived."

"What does that mean?" Yukari broke in. "Explain yourself. Explain everything!"

Mitsuru tightened her throat against the words, but after a moment, began to speak. It was even easier than looking away.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

By dawn, they'd passed the threshold - they'd hurdled it. They were beyond tired, hungry and thirsty. All of Naoto's physical complaints had collected themselves into steady aches in her head, throat and legs, her vision clear when it wasn't fluttering or shimmering. She didn't know how the guys fared as no one had spoken for ages. They were walking. That, all things considered, was far more than satisfactory.

Glancing up simultaneously to gauge Susano-o's location was the majority of their communication. For Naoto's part, when she'd come to once again on Kanji's back, she'd resigned herself to conserving her strength. Kanji and Souji wouldn't hold this over her head. Knowing them, they might not ever mention it again. She could live with that. For now. Well, she had to. She felt Kanji's shoulder twitch against her cheek, and she wondered if he could feel her heartbeat. In a moment, she'd ask to be put down.

"You two," Naoto rasped, once she was sure she could speak. Someone had replaced her cap on her head, brim over her eyes, so she couldn't see the others, but Kanji tilted his head back and she could imagine Souji looking over. "I didn't thank you for coming to find me. I'm sorry."

"We were holding it against you," was Souji's offhanded comment. "Weren't we, Kanji?" Kanji faced forward.

"It would've been smarter if you'd stayed with the others, but you..." Naoto chewed her lower lip, chapped and blistered. "I was so happy when I woke up and you were there. I'd thought I was going to die." She swallowed. "We may still die, but... I feel I can face it better now. Heh." She felt Kanji turn his head again. "If we weren't approaching such peril, I never would have been able to say that."

"Well," Kanji said, clearing his throat, "we'll live so you can regret it, all right?"

"All right." With an effort, she straightened, bracing her hands against Kanji's shoulders. "I can walk."

"Uh - sure." Kanji pulled to a stop, hesitated, then awkwardly eased her to the ground. Naoto was proud that she didn't try to steady herself against him, though her brain felt as though it were in a centrifuge.

Now, much later, Naoto's head seemed to have settled, her eyes better able to focus in the broadening daylight. Several times, she almost evoked, wanting to see if distancing herself from Kronos gave her better control of her Persona, but she always backed out. She was afraid of Yamato Takeru attacking her friends again, their hurting him, which might somehow hurt her. (Though she couldn't see how it would. Though the fear wouldn't leave.) She was afraid she'd expend the last of her energy by evoking. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to control him at all.

_I need to know if I can do this. We have to be able to plan._ Taking a deep breath, she felt her card's crisp edge against her palm.

The scream came from closer than any of them could have expected. Naoto jerked her head up, facing a nearby ridge of dark rocks, asphodels growing in clusters between the boulders.

"Fuuka-san," Souji muttered as he sprang into a run.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

"If Tartarus and Elysion come from the same source," Mitsuru said, "why do you think they're separated?" She should have paused, rhetorical question or not, just to give her words the correct weight. But her clenched fists, nails folded into the hard creases of her palms, her teeth biting into her lip in a vain attempt to stop the words all rendered theatrics impossible. She spoke flatly and quickly, almost like Kampe herself. "Tartarus was a means by which to call down Nyx, and the Elysion was the resting place for Personas, ruled by Kronos, holding the world in a tension of potential and stasis. Nyx may be the mother of Death, but she is the life force in this duality.

"Nyx and Kronos could have held each other in check, but Nyx overpowered Kronos and imprisoned him in Elysion. When Minato died, Nyx was also sealed, so both are trapped, each wanting to destroy the other."

"So there should be balance again," Akihiko said.

"I believe the balance between Kronos and Nyx was always false," Mitsuru said softly, even as the words sent a pain through her throat. She winced and gave in again. "With the Seal in place, Nyx's control over Kronos gradually weakened, though he could not yet leave Elysion. He required a means to draw strength, Personas, towards him." She flinched again. "If a Persona is bound to Elysion, its first self is always in a half-state, always divided. It is...as you say, as good as death."

"But-" Yukari started.

Mitsuru shook her head. Of course she hadn't told Yukari that. Of course she'd bent the truth. Kronos had needed Yukari. "Binding Personas to Elysion gives Kronos full mastery over them. Personas, particularly the Personas of strong individuals, contain immense power." She tried to fight the words, then released a shaky sigh. There was no value in protracting this. "Enough power to destroy the Seal."

"So you lied _again_?" Yukari snapped. Mitsuru wasn't sure when she'd drawn her Evoker, but she had her arm cocked at head level, though her Evoker was angled forward. "You said this was all to stop Nyx for good."

"Kronos intends to destroy Nyx, but he can't while she's protected by Minato."

"'Take Minato down from that cross'," Akihiko said, drawing his lip back.

"Akihiko-" Mitsuru's voice shook, was cut off.

"You're going to kill him?" Yukari's voice was very soft, her eyes wide.

"Break the Seal by force," Mitsuru said dully, "though that, in turn, will kill him. And we'll all be dead. And it will be over."

"No," Yukari said, and it took Mitsuru a moment to realize that she wasn't denying Mitsuru's words, she was arguing with them. "Minato's stronger than that. You won't put a scratch on that Seal, I don't care how many Personas you get."

Mitsuru's hand involuntarily twitched. She closed it tighter.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

"I really don't like these ones," Teddie said as Kamui launched Bufudyne at an automaton, crushing her. "They're not even _trying_ to be people."

Junpei dodged a Garudyne cast by a robot's Persona, then surged forward and gutted her; the robot crumpled. "Sheesh, Ai-chan really was the pick of the litter, huh?" He kept the words light, but his eyes were grim. "These things are terrible. Rush jobs, all of 'em." Perhaps as a response to that taunt, perhaps not, Yukiko cast another Mediarahan.

"If you're so bored, how 'bout letting us take a few more whacks?" Yosuke said, slashing both knives across a robot's face even as she attempted to evoke. "You've been hogging all the kills."

Chie kicked an automaton into the line of Teddie's next attack (where he'd been hiding his bear suit, no one knew, and no one questioned). "Yeah, you look pretty beat." She bounced on her feet, grinning as she picked her next target. "Why don't you just sit this one out?"

"I don't need to take this kind of crap," Junpei said, swinging his sword over his head and throwing himself at the next robot.

"You're thinning them out, guys," came Rise's voice from the back. "I detect-"

"-six more automata arriving from over the ridge," Fuuka finished.

"That's rude, Fuuka-san," Rise muttered, then louder: "After that, I think we'll be in the clear. No, wait-"

Junpei half-turned as Fuuka screamed, but Yosuke was already bearing down on the robot who had attacked her. Juno wavered, Fuuka crouched inside of her, blood trailing down in her arm, then she straightened and Juno solidified. Junpei pivoted in time to blast an Agidyne at another robot.

"Looks like we got a few more coming in, coming from the west," Rise said. "And from the south, we got - we -" Her voice jumped to a relieved squeal. _"Senpai!"_

"What?" from Yosuke, turning to the south.

"Hang on, reinforcements are coming!" Rise sang out. "I'm counting one, two, three: Senpai, Kanji and Naoto!"

Chie whooped while Junpei said, "C'mon guys, none of that is going to make any difference if we all die while you're cheerleading." He decapitated a robot for emphasis.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

By the time Naoto could hear the sounds of battle, she knew there was no question about whether she should evoke. She had to test if she could control her Persona, and if she couldn't, her friends would be equal to subduing Yamato Takeru, and if that permanently hurt her, that was just how it would be. As they crested the rise, she threw her card into the air and pulled her pistol's trigger.

Yamato Takeru, whole and unbloodied, spiraled into the air, slashing a Hama rune in front of one of Kirijo's automata, destroying her instantly. She saw Izanagi-no-Okami lunge through the air above her, and Rokuten Maoh's blade smashed down on two more robots.

"Dude, overkill! Those were already dead!" Yosuke shouted.

Naoto pressed her lips together to keep a sudden surge of emotion from manifesting as tears. Seeing Yamato Takeru safe was not a reason to cry. It simply meant things were as they should be, if only for a moment.

"Good timing, for once. Let's clean up," Junpei said, clubbing a robot with the hilt of his katana. "We're closing in on her."

"Now that Sensei's here," Teddie said, healing Souji, Kanji and Naoto, "we'll be unstoppable."

Yosuke shrugged as he kicked the remains of an automaton to the side, though he did blink hard, once. "Gotta say, partner, it's good to have our leader back."

"Leader?" Junpei said - a shade too lightly.

As the last robot crashed to the ground, defeated by a smack of Yukiko's fan to its face, Kanzeon dispersed and Rise set off at a run. To everyone's surprise, she plunged right past Souji and into Naoto, throwing the detective onto her back. Naoto reflexively kicked out and tried to sit up, but Rise hung on around her neck.

And then Rise jumped back and held out her hand to Naoto, mouth quivering until she bit down on her lower lip. "C'mon, stand up. I'm just - really glad you didn't die because of me."

Naoto blinked, but didn't accept Rise's hand, preferring to stand on her own. "I never would have blamed you at all. It wasn't your fault." She rubbed her shoulder, wondering why her friends had to keep expressing their relief by tackling her. Rise she could expect it from, but even Kanji... She pulled her mind to different thoughts.

"Are you all right? Are you tired?" Chie was hovering over Yukiko, who was folding her fan and slipping it back into her belt.

"I look like I'm in better shape than you are," Yukiko said.

"Yeah, chill, Chie," Yosuke said. "You're like a Mother Bear."

"Shut up!" Chie stamped her foot. "You weren't there when she nearly bled to death. I have every right to be worried."

"Sensei, I knew you wouldn't leave us forever," Teddie said, squeaking over to Souji. "Did you manage to kill Kronos? A one-hit kill, right?"

"Not quite," Souji admitted.

Yosuke lightly whacked Naoto across the shoulders. "Still with us then? Damn, you sure like making Kanji worry."

"I wasn't-" Naoto spluttered even as Kanji stepped closer to her and glared at Yosuke.

"Senpai, are you all right? Tired?" Rise asked, putting her hand on his shoulder. "You ran all the way to us, didn't you?"

"Yippee all around, but we don't have time for this." Businesslike, Junpei sheathed his katana. "Let's keep moving." He glanced at Souji, gauging, braced for a counter-order.

"Whatever you say," Souji said.


	40. Chapter 40

40.

_3.28.16?_

Akihiko rolled the Evoker's grip in his palm. "I think the real question," he said, "is why you've sided with Kronos in the first place. You _say_ you aren't being controlled. So what is it?"

Mitsuru's nails kneaded her palms; she pressed harder, pain shooting up her nerves, giving her the clarity to speak. "I didn't know what Kronos was when - I thought Artemisia was speaking - I thought I could save Minato - I never wanted to kill anyone - I still don't-" Abruptly, she brought that hand to her forehead, her mind shifting back to a single layer of meshed instincts and arguments, thoughts and easy commands. "As long as Nyx exists, there will have to be a Seal, and Minato will never find rest. A kinder choice for you all is to die."

Akihiko lifted his Evoker. "Get out of her, Kronos!"

In a single motion, Mitsuru leapt to her feet, standing high on the rock, a parody of her old command. "I_ am_ Kronos!" she shouted. "We are the same."

"Don't say that," Yukari said. "You're Mitsuru, you've always been. He's - just controlling you. It's not your fault!"

Mitsuru's legs trembled, and she took a half step back, the rising light striking off her, rendering her more than a mere silhouette. Her head fell forward, curtained by her long hair, her right hand still clenched in a fist. Her lips parted, and a different voice spoke:

"_Persona."

* * *

_

_3.28.16?_

Light bloomed behind Mitsuru's figure, unraveled into long streamers of fire, spun like a spoked wheel, blurring again into a single flare. The light coalesced into the long curve of a white scythe blade, swinging in a circle. The bay blazed with heat, the waves clouded and steaming.

"Shit." Akihiko was only faintly surprised to hear Junpei's voice behind him. He didn't turn. Junpei's presence simply fell into place; he wouldn't have been surprised to hear Shinjiro speak.

The light intensified, forcing Akihiko to close his eyes and bring up his arm, and when he was able to look again, Mitsuru had vanished. Kronos hovered over the water, no more than twenty meters from them, adamant scythe catching the light.

"Don't hesitate," came Fuuka's voice. "We must stop Kronos at all costs."

"Wait," Yukari said. It was what Akihiko wanted to say, but his throat was too dry. "Wait, I want answers before I kill you. Where'd she go?" She started towards the god.

"Be careful!" Fuuka shouted. "It's about to-"

Light pulsed at Kronos' center, then parted, and they could see into the god's heart. Mitsuru's shape burned against the light, then was replaced by the image of a cross, a young man, arms wrapped in wire, his head fallen on his chest. His edges were flat, flickering, light and darkness fluttering like blown petals.

Yukari had fallen on her knees. "Stop!"

Junpei ran past Akihiko, then pitched to an unsteady halt.

_I call you_. Akihiko shook himself, staring at Minato's image. _I call you._ The voice was Caesar's, though how could he know?_ I call you._ Caesar had never spoken before. _I call you._ The voice, Akihiko realized, sounded close to his own. _This stolen power. Why else would you have me if not to save your friend? Destroy Nyx and save this world from her. _Pain keened in his mind.

Akihiko fell back, wrenching his eyes from the image, even as he felt Caesar struggle to leave him, to enter Kronos. "Look away!" he shouted. Trismegisthus had almost manifested before Junpei threw himself onto the ground, forcing himself to break the contact. Fuuka had already covered her head with her arms, shaking. Yukari brought both hands over her face, nails gouging her temples.

"He's trying to call our Personas into himself," Fuuka said, still not looking up. "We need to - we need to destroy him."

"But if we evoke," Junpei panted, "that just gets him closer to our Personas."

"Not if we use them to kill him," Akihiko said, though his only reason for believing that was because he wanted to. There had to be a way to kill Kronos. There had to be a way out. He lifted his Evoker. "Caesar!"

* * *

_3.28.16?_

"Damn, I hate this," Yosuke said under his breath. "They're about to be shredded!"

"Hold back," Rise said firmly, Kanzeon's visor down. Of all of them hiding in the ridge overlooking the bay, she could see the clearest. "A surprise attack has to remain a surprise. They're going to attack, and then we'll wait until they've-"

"I think Kronos can already sense us," Teddie said. He shook his head. "I..."

Souji glanced at the bear, seeing his limp stance. "Damn, this world's affecting you again."

"It's that Kronos," Teddie answered. "The closer I get to him, the...more I just want to sleep."

"Where did Kirijo go?" Naoto asked, glancing at Rise. "Can you trace her?"

Rise hesitated. "She...hasn't moved."

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Akihiko didn't need Fuuka to tell him that their assault was having little effect on Kronos. With each attack, he felt his link to Caesar strengthening, Kronos' voice in his mind growing fainter and fainter. But Kronos held his ground, neither attacking nor giving way. Akihiko had run forward, the salty steam from the ocean hitting his face. Yukari splashed into the water, then jumped back, burns up her shins. She didn't falter, only pausing to heal herself before casting another Garudyne.

_If you kill me -_ Kronos' voice flicked through his thoughts, half-heard - _you will destroy her. _Fighting to close his mind off, Akihiko cast another spell, lightning shooting uselessly into Kronos. Or was it? Was the god weakening, trying to negotiate? Or stalling, hoping to keep them alive long enough for them to surrender their Personas? If they simply died in combat, uncaptured, Kronos would have no control over their second selves.

"You aren't Mitsuru." He attacked again. "She would never do this."

_So quick to reassume your loyalty to her. You won't be able to kill her. _

He wouldn't have to kill her, he was going to save her. Akihiko fell back, trying to get perspective, some strategy of attack that could overwhelm Kronos.

_See the truth. _

Kronos' flames blazed white hot, and though his heart didn't open, Mitsuru's shape appeared, tattered and windblown. A sleeveless, trailing white dress beat against the flames without catching fire. Her shins and wrists were both shackled, though her feet and hands had been hewn off, leaving nothing but ragged, bleeding stumps. Her face had been gashed twice, two deep, gleaming strips, one across her mouth, the other gouging out her eyes. Blood trailed down her neck, clung to her gown, her hair disheveled around her sightless face.

"Mitsuru?" Yukari whispered. "What did you do to her?"

"Fuuka, what's going on?" Junpei called back, eyes wide.

Akihiko didn't turn, couldn't take his eyes from Mitsuru's face, but he heard each of Fuuka's words clearly. "Kronos has evoked his Persona."

"This isn't possible," Yukari insisted. "Mitsuru's a human, not a Persona - she can't-"

_She relinquished her Persona to me, giving me her soul and merging her mind with mine. Artemisia is lost, and Mitsuru Kirijo remains only a mask imbued with my will. Perhaps knowing this will make it easier for you to kill her? _

"C'mon, Mitsuru!" Junpei shouted. "Don't take this shit!"

Mitsuru shivered.

_If you wish to fight,_ Kronos said,_ come forward._ Mitsuru threw her head back and screamed. Fire and lightning rained down on the beach.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

"Crap, what're we - they're not going to be able to do this," Chie said. "She's their friend, how are they supposed to kill her?"

"That's why they have us," Naoto said, lifting her pistol, knowing she felt too detached. "We can be heartless for them." She felt the look Kanji threw at her but didn't respond.

Souji leaned forward over the ledge, then nodded. "Screw the surprise plan. Let's go." They ran. Nobody mentioned that Kronos seemed impervious to the Personas' attacks, or that they were rushing to the aid of people they hardly knew. Or that they were trying to save the world at all.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Akihiko let the spell pass through him, unresponsive, hand tight on his Evoker. He'd told himself what to do a hundred times, convinced himself that he'd be able to kill Mitsuru. That he was the right one to do it because he knew her, he'd been her friend, he understood how far she'd fallen, and he still loved her. If he couldn't face the reality of killing her, he'd never again be able to face the memory of her. Then, speaking with her, he'd allowed himself to hope that there was some alternative, someone else who could take the punishment for Mitsuru's crimes. Now he found he'd been right on both counts. Kronos was the author of Mitsuru's sins, but Mitsuru would still have to pay with her death.

So this was his original plan. He just had to kill her.

The spell dispersed. Akihiko raised his arm to evoke. He didn't. He told himself what to do and his arm didn't move.

Trismegisthus' Agidyne hit Kronos, a brighter red than the god's own flames. _If you kill me - _through the turbulence, Akihiko could hardly hear Kronos' voice, though he wasn't sure if it was the spellfire or his own mind that drowned the words out - _you will lose your last chance to save Minato and the world. To save her._

"What do you mean?" Yukari asked. "If we surrender, you'll release Mitsuru?" She bared her teeth, Isis shimmering above her. "I'm sick of your lying! You don't care about Minato or the world. You just want to rule the world, same as Nyx."

Mitsuru writhed. Fire burst along the beach in long avenues; Akihiko had thrown himself to the ground before thinking. He rolled to his feet, extending his arm for balance. His hand was wrapped around the grip, the finger poised on the trigger. Breathing hard, he bent his elbow, Evoker angled at the sky. He told himself to cock his wrist, pull the trigger. He couldn't shake the memory of their first meeting, Mitsuru pointing that same Evoker at him, the only way to meet him, to get his attention, telling him she needed protection. For the two of them, it had always been about battles, and duty. This was both. He could do it. The Evoker had almost slipped from his hand. He tightened his grip.

"Fall back, Sanada." Akihiko didn't recognize the voice. "You don't have to be the one to do this."

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Naoto slid to a stop in the sand, allowing the others to run past her, raising her gun high. She hesitated, telling herself it was because she wanted to assess the field. Takeba and Iori were relentlessly firing spells into Kronos, though she couldn't tell how much effect they had. Yamagishi had fallen back, bound inside her Persona. Sanada stood at the edge of the beach, immobile, and he didn't even turn his head as Souji ran up behind him. The rest of her friends had fanned out, evoking, about to test their own magic against Kronos. Naoto took a deep breath, summoned her card, and shot it through.

Yamato Takeru spiraled out from her pistol, streaming blood.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Akihiko arched his finger over the trigger as a young man ran past him, sword raised to his shoulder, evoking.

"What're you doing?" Akihiko rasped. "The spells aren't - nothing touches him!" He already knew.

Seta's Persona manifested, a tall silvery figure swinging a long polearm over his head, driving it through Mitsuru. It was impossible to know if she felt pain, her features torn beyond expression. She didn't scream, but she twisted away, wrenching herself free of the weapon. Without hesitating, even before he felt the flare of anger, Akihiko evoked, Caesar lifting his sword to strike Seta down. Seta turned in time, his Persona parrying the blow across his own weapon. The air around Kronos vibrated, and his heart parted.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

"Watch out!" Rise shouted. "Keep fighting, don't give him a chance to take your Personas!"

Yamato Takeru hung limply in the air, his sword slack in his fingers. Naoto bit her lip and closed her eyes, concentrating, trying to force him to attack Kirijo. She heard Rise's shout, felt the air beating wildly against her face - and, opening her eyes, saw Yamato Takeru had straightened, posture alert, gazing at Kronos' heart.

"Not again - _obey me, damn you!_" Did some part of her long for this, the freedom and isolation of death? Was it only that Kronos had already had the chance to control Yamato Takeru? Faster than Naoto could think, Yamato Takeru lifted into the air, then dove, swift and low, hitting the field with Megidolaon. Hitting her friends.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Souji fell back to the sea's edge, the stinging water at his heels. "Sanada-"

After the initial attack, Sanada hadn't advanced, staring up at Kirijo, face anguished. Grimacing with pity, Souji evoked again, casting Ziodyne. Kirijo screamed, body flailing with pain.

Sanada hit him low, punching deep into his stomach, throwing Souji backwards into the boiling spindrift. Souji closed his mouth at the last moment, felt Sanada knee him in the chest, find his face and hold it under the water.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Naoto dropped her pistol and fell to her knees, digging her fingers into sand that was too yielding to anchor her, watching as Yamato Takeru's sword slashed through Yukiko, tearing her side. She saw Chie half turn to look at her, Kanji pause as he evoked. It was too late. Yamato Takeru had already been hurt, and she'd brought him too close to Kronos. She could feel her mind parting, the careful weave of her self fraying. She called out to Yamato Takeru, was met only with turmoil and agony. Her Persona hesitated, then launched himself at her friends, opening himself to attack. Her vision blurred, and when she could see again, a white figure stood in front of her, trailing blood. Yamato Takeru.

"I - I can't control you except in this? I can just call you back to do this one thing?" Naoto struggled to hold onto her words. She sighed, almost a laugh. "I admit...it's the sure way out of this."

Behind his visor, Yamato Takeru's eyes flickered. Then his saber flashed high above her.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Heedless of the water, Yosuke slammed into Sanada shoulder-first, Sanada tumbling sideways into the sea. Yosuke plunged his hands into the waves, finding Souji as he was gasping, struggling to sit up. Throwing his weight back, Yosuke dragged both of them free of the surf, casting Diarama once, twice, three times. He knelt next to Souji, slumping, took him by the shoulders.

Souji shook his hair out his face, his burns faded though not entirely gone. "Bit faster next time, all right?"

Relieved beyond measure, Yosuke smacked him across the face and stood, bracing as he saw that Sanada was also on his feet, out of the water, curing himself. Souji rose, bringing up his sword. Above them, Kronos cast Mabufudyne through Mitsuru, momentarily covering them with a freezing blindness.

"Get a grip," Yosuke said once the spell had dispersed, shuddering off the spell's aftereffects. "We have to stop her. She's not going to stop for us."

"I - Kronos is controlling her!" Sanada shouted. "It's him we have to stop!"

"You said it yourself," Souji said flatly. "We can't hurt Kronos. But we can stop Kirijo." He glanced at Yosuke. "You shouldn't have to hurt someone you love. Let us do it."

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Naoto saw the blade, and though she braced, hitching her shoulders, she made no other move to resist. She could barely feel Yamato Takeru in her mind, knew it was a matter of seconds before she lost contact with him entirely. _Hurry. As long as I still have the slightest connection, Kronos won't own my Persona. I won't spend eternity as a ghost._ _All of me will die._

The blade swung down, flickering towards her face. Something collided with her shoulder, thrusting her to the side. Her contact with Yamato Takeru unraveled, held only by a painfully taut thread, and he darted away from her. Naoto kicked out in rage and frustration. "I'm trying to _save_ you!"

"Try harder!" Kanji shouted back.

"I've _had_ it with you!" Rise snapped, grabbing Naoto's shoulders from behind.

"You're going to die - I can't control him-"

"Make us care," Kanji said, kneeling in front of her.

"I won't let you be an idiot about this." Swearing, Rise shoved her into a sitting position. As Naoto fell forward, she felt the snap of pain in her mind, Yamato Takeru's pain, a brief, sharp contact between them. Naoto faltered into Kanji, then he and Rise hugged her between them. Naoto cried out. They were going to die, Kronos would use Yamato Takeru against her friends, she'd never be whole again. Yamato Takeru's Megidolaon crashed into the three of them, hitting all.

Kanji tightened his hold on her. "When'd you stop being so damn stubborn? You can shake this!" Rise was crying into the back of her neck, arms trembling.

Forehead pressed against Kanji's breastbone, Naoto could hardly hear anything above their three pulses. Opening her eyes, she strained them to the edge of their periphery, saw a strip of Elysion's sky. It had lightened to bronze. She sensed Yamato Takeru above them, about to strike, his pained presence in her mind slipping away. Her friends clung to her, her own hands lying limp on the sand. She could only accept their choice. She didn't have to tell them that they were about to die, no more than they needed to say that it didn't matter.

With a sudden sob up her throat, Naoto knew it did matter. Closing her eyes, she gasped, a plaintive, childish cry. The fibers of her mind rewove, laced with Yamato Takeru's pain, shot through with fear and love so intermingled she knew she'd never sort one from the other. Yamato Takeru filled her. She felt Rise lift her face, Kanji's hands slide from her waist to her shoulders. She balled her small hands into fists, but there was no holding the tears in, and she was tired of trying. Loving her friends, fearing for them, she was powerless to stop it, or them.

Heat rippled across the morning, the tide of Kronos' anger. Naoto didn't shrink from it, allowing herself to be protected.


	41. Chapter 41

41.

_3.28.16?_

"No."

Souji set himself, gauging Sanada. His lips were firmed, trying to suppress any display of emotion. Yosuke, shoulders braced, sidestepped around Sanada, towards his back.

"No?" Souji repeated, impatience edging his voice. "Can you kill her?" Before Sanada could take that as a challenge, he went on, "She shouldn't be killed by someone she loves."

Sanada turned his face away for less than a second, though his eyes didn't leave Souji's. Whether it was a flinch or a negation, Souji couldn't tell. He gazed past Sanada only long enough to give Yosuke the slightest nod. Then turned, ensuring Sanada's attention would be on him. He'd known Yosuke would grab Sanada from behind and do his best to restrain him, but he hadn't guessed that Iori would do the same.

He heard Sanada cry out, struggling against both of them. Souji opened his palm, card burning above it.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Even without Kanzeon's visor, Rise sensed the moment when Souji evoked Izanagi's card. She could feel the air shift, charged with power, knew he was preparing himself. She felt Kronos bracing, the slight tilt of Kirijo's head as she tried to recoil, locked in place by her first self.

Lifting her face from Naoto's shoulder, Rise opened her eyes, saw that Kronos' barrage had halted. Even at this distance, she could make out her friends on the beach, Yukiko's caution, Chie bending her leg in readiness to come running. Teddie crouched, claw extended.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Yukari knelt in the sand, legs trembling, weakened by Kronos' attacks. She heard Akihiko's shout, jerking her head up to see him still at the edge of the beach, restrained by Junpei and one of those others. She lurched to her feet, wavering, falling forward and catching herself on one leg. She didn't even know what was going on, and already she was trying to intervene.

With a flash, that silver-white Persona manifested again, raising his polearm.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Naoto felt Rise straighten and catch her breath. Taking a deep breath of her own, Naoto pulled herself together - more literally than she would have believed possible, Yamato Takeru's presence strong inside of her - and looked up. She met Kanji's eyes, and they both instinctively turned to the beach, staring at Kronos. In the rising light of morning, his brightness seemed diminished, though the flames still twisted violently.

Rise whispered something Naoto couldn't catch, but she heard the fear; Kanji's hands gripped her shoulders. Souji stood almost in silhouette before the god, darkening as Izanagi-no-Okami appeared.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Fuuka squeezed her eyes tightly, knowing if she opened them to look with her own vision, she'd break her connection with Juno. Though separated almost by the length of the beach, she could hear her friends perfectly. Akihiko swore, trying to fight his two assailants off, Junpei straining all his strength to hold Akihiko back by the shoulders. The boy's Persona bathed them in a heedless radiance.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

"Senpai-!" Junpei said the word on a gasp, almost losing hold of Akihiko, reaching forward to hook his arm around his collar bones. "-said - yourself - she has to die - doesn't matter - who does it!" Though he said it, he thought he understood why Akihiko was fighting. If he, Akihiko, killed her, it would feel like mercy killing. If another did it, it would feel like murder. Lies, all of it, but there was no time to argue. And, having come so far, no reason left to. Didn't stop the damn tears pricking the edges of his eyes.

Even he could feel it now, the air rippling with power as Seta's Persona gathered energy, raised his weapon. Hanamura swore with pain as Akihiko elbowed him in the neck.

Seta stretched his arm to the sky, then drove it forward. Above him, the Persona gathered himself and shot towards Mitsuru, lightning crackling in jagged spirals up his polearm.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Akihiko thought he felt the impact in his own chest, his head hammering as Mitsuru's spine bent in and she screamed, her torn mouth bleeding. The air shook, his vision beating dim and bright, Kronos' flames blazing, their clamor like a second scream.

High in the air, Seta's Persona stepped back from Mitsuru, weapon poised, ready for a counter strike. Mitsuru hung limp, the stumps of her wrists held close to her chest, blood shining slowly down her stomach. She fell almost listlessly, dropping to the sand at Seta's feet.

Heat blasted into their faces, Kronos roaring, his heart opening. Through the tumult, Akihiko could hear Fuuka shouting. "-protect her - Personas-!"

Around them, Personas flared into being - Caesar, Trismegisthus, Susano-o, Isis, Suzuka Gongen, Amaterasu, Kamui, Juno, Kanzeon, Rokuten Maoh, Yamato Takeru.

_You have nothing,_

_- _Akihiko felt the fraying in his mind as Kronos tried to pull Caesar into him -

_not even your soul,_

- but the Persona fought, clung to the certainty -

_numbing yourself _

- that there was always a right way, there was a duty, he could always do it, everything would be fine -

_to escape the truth -_

- holding to his first self. He heard Fuuka and Kujikawa calling out reassurances, telling them to maintain control of their Personas as Kronos tried, one by one, to take them. Some - Kamui, Susano-o, Trismegisthus, Rokuten Maoh - resisted him quickly, forcing him to find new targets. Suzuka Gongen shuddered, then stood back to back with Amaterasu. Yamato Takeru inclined his head in Kronos' direction but made no other move. Kronos fought Isis the longest, opening his heart, Minato drawing her closer until Yukari threw herself into a run towards Mitsuru, arm over her eyes, landing on her knees by Hanamura. Yukari shivered, but Isis remained in place. Personas ringed the bay, none attacking, barring Kronos from Mitsuru.

Junpei and Hanamura released him suddenly, one after the other. Akihiko almost fell. He stumbled forward, shouldering Seta out of the way, kneeling by Mitsuru. She lay curled up, arms crossed at her chest, knees drawn close. Her hair flared in a red tangle, burnished by the sunrise, brighter than the red tangle of her stomach.

"Mitsuru-" It was Yukari saying her name, not himself. In another second, Junpei was kneeling behind him, Fuuka was saying something through Juno - he couldn't concentrate on any of it. Hanamura was talking quickly to Seta. There was a sudden slap of cold air as Seta raised his sword.

"Wait," Mitsuru whispered.

While he would have defied Akihiko, Seta obeyed Mitsuru, at least for the moment. His sword slanted over her, light tracing its edge in gold. He didn't turn, but Akihiko knew the others, the interlopers, had drawn close. This wasn't their fight. It wasn't Seta's business to kill Mitsuru. He had to stop this, but he didn't dare move, afraid to destroy the quiet, and Mitsuru with it.

"You aren't powerful enough to stop Kronos," Mitsuru said, voice steady despite the blood. Akihiko had always been impressed at her ability to remain clear and precise under pressure, but it sickened him now. "You can fend him off with your combined Personas and get back to the gates. Yukari can close all of them for you. But you won't be able to kill him. He will remain alive to strike again."

The air shuddered, Kronos trying to overwhelm the ring of Personas.

"Is there a way to destroy him?" Seta asked, just as calm. "Or...does he have to be imprisoned?" He took a deep breath, his hand tightening on the sword hilt. "Does there have to be a Seal?"

"What?" Hanamura asked quietly, then, _"What?"_

"Senpai-" Kujikawa's voice rose with fear.

"Does there have to be a Seal?" Seta asked again, tone even, though he didn't look at anyone but Mitsuru.

She hesitated. "No. Kronos can be killed, but only by a being as powerful as himself. Nothing less can touch him."

"So Nyx could kill him," Junpei said. "But - but we'd have to destroy Minato to get to her-"

Mitsuru paused again, and when she spoke, her voice was stronger. "Kronos is the devourer. He can kill himself." She turned her sightless face towards the god.

"What?" Yukari was crying beneath her anger. "What are you - How does knowing that help us?"

Mitsuru didn't answer. Akihiko reached to touch her arm, though he wasn't sure why. To hold her back? To remind her what they'd been? His hand passed through her. As if sensing what had happened, Mitsuru finally spoke. "When Kronos showed me his heart, I thought it held the answer to freeing Minato and destroying Nyx. But all it showed was his desire to break the Seal and rule in Nyx's place. That isn't Minato, only Kronos' jealous echo of him." Her voice grew heavy, a wince passing across her bleeding face. "Kronos tricked me into making my will his own. I am less than human now. I am Kronos' second self. I too am the devourer."

"No - shut up, no!" Yukari said. "You're yourself. Mitsuru Kirijo."

Mitsuru didn't turn towards her, or any of them. "I hope so," she said. Tension tightened her face. "I hope that - if I can destroy him - I can have my soul again."

Seta studied her a moment longer, then nodded, stepped back, and lowered his sword to his side.

"Mitsuru-!" As she unfolded, ascending above the sand, Akihiko stood and tried again to grab her. Her shoulders hitched, and she bowed her head, but she didn't turn. She glimmered with light, then rose above the level of their heads, hair writhing in a sudden wind.

Kronos' flames contracted, beating closer to his shut heart. The scythe ceased spinning, arched above the flames.

"Thank you," Mitsuru said, standing level with the ring of Personas, "for protecting me, and giving me one moment to reclaim myself." She flickered out of sight, reappeared beyond the ring, in front of Kronos, the flames lapping through her incorporeal form. The scythe swung around, arcing towards Mitsuru. She raised one arm to her torn eyes, tipped her head back.

And shattered.

* * *

_3.28.16?_

Kronos' twisting halo of flames shot into a thousand points of light, streaking across the sky and gleaming over the water. The scythe continued to swing even as cracks raced across its surface, throwing shards of adamant hissing into the sea. Souji and Yosuke backed away from the shoreline, the waves rolling in quick and hard, Yosuke dragging on Yukari's arm. Akihiko stood until one wave broke against his shin, and then he stepped back, movements uneven, face tilted up. His Evoker hung loose in his grasp. Fuuka huddled on the sand, palm over her eyes, sobbing. Junpei's hands shook, tears trailing down his temples. Teddie stood between Chie and Yukiko, a paw at each waist. Kanji, Naoto and Rise stood the farthest back, shoulder to shoulder.

Kronos' heart tore open, a confusion of darkness and chaos inside the blinding light. There was no trace of the crucified boy, or of Mitsuru.

As one, they seemed to realize how quiet Elysion was. The flames' roars had been silenced, even the crashing of the waves was muted. The wind had died.

And then, almost before they could realize it, Kronos broke. The light shot free from his heart, disappearing into the sea and sky, the darkness pulverized into a glittering haze. The sky had brightened to amber. When the wind picked up again, it was cool and salty.

Akihiko Sanada stood unmoving.

* * *

_3.29.16_

They tumbled out, landing in a sprawl across Yosuke's bedroom floor. For a while, no one bothered to stand, or really even to move, breathing in the murkier air of their own world, feeling the late-afternoon sunlight shift over the screened window. Even the cheap weave of the carpet was welcome.

"What do you think?" Chie asked after a moment. She lay with her face tucked into her arm and elbow. "Think they'll be okay?"

"It's out of our hands," Souji said eventually, sounding more tired than he had all during the battle and trek back to this gate. "They've - lost something much more important than we have."

"Twice," Chie said, and sighed. "Aigis-san."

"And Amada-san. And that boy, the one guarding the Seal." Yukiko rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. "They came so far. They must've been hoping, behind everything else, there was some way to save him." She closed her eyes. "You can't just give up."

"Senpai." Rise's voice shook as she lifted her face from her arms. "When you asked whether we needed to create another Seal, I - I wanted to - I wanted to do anything to make you stop."

"And if you'd gone through with it," Yosuke said, sitting up, casting a bleak look around the room, "we would've done anything to get you back."

"Maybe even fallen for a lie like Kronos'," Teddie said. "I'd've wanted to believe anything, Sensei, if I thought I had a chance of saving you."

"There's no point dwelling on it," Souji said quickly. "At least - not yet. I-" He frowned and shook his head.

Kanji pushed himself up, rising to one knee. "No one coulda destroyed that shitter but Kirijo, and you gave her the chance to do just that. You did all you had to, senpai." His gaze fell on Naoto, curled on her side. "We all did." Naoto glanced at him, doubt in the arch of her eyebrows, then looked away. But put out her hand and allowed him to pull her into a sitting position.

Chie sat up. "I'm worried about them. Do you think it was all right to leave them in Elysion?"

"You heard what they said. They have Takeba, they can open another gate," Yosuke said. "And they needed to be alone. Together." His shoulders slumped.

"I hope they'll be all right," Yukiko said. "I wish we could have met differently."

"No group that can stand toe to toe with ours will roll over and die," Teddie said, springing to his feet with a squeak. "We just don't associate with losers."

"I dunno," Yosuke said blandly, not really rising to the occasion. "We hang out a lot with you."

"Bad jokes are uncalled-for at a time like this," Teddie said.

Naoto had looked past Souji to the wall behind him. "The gate's vanished. Is the outlet...?" Souji turned, then scooted out of the way so they could all see. There was still a wet trickle of blood, but it was drying, no longer issuing from the socket.

"Just as well," Yosuke said. "I don't need that in my room." He stood, legs quivering slightly, which was the cue for all of them to get up.

"We should report back to Grampa," Naoto said, rubbing her forehead. "And...notify everyone's family."

"Buckle up, kids," Yosuke said wearily. "This is the rough part."


	42. Chapter 42

42.

_4.16.16_

There hadn't been a funeral.

There was still a search going on for Mitsuru. It had fallen to Junpei to explain the truth to Officer Kurosawa, though he could no more alert any authorities than tell them of the Dark Hour.

They'd made a unanimous, unspoken decision to leave whatever remains there were in Elysion. There was no trace of Mitsuru after Kronos' destruction, and Aigis lay broken in the poplar forest. Ken had been buried weeks ago in an insignificant suburb called Inaba. Thinking of it had fanned Yukari's anger back to brightness at the unfairness of it all, which had been a reprieve from her pain.

They had not seen each other much in the intervening weeks, which Yukari wasn't sure how to take. She let the storms of anger and grief pass over her, trying not to fight them, nor call them when they were absent. She felt powerless and sick, and any hope that Minato might someday be saved, her friends be made happy, had left her for now.

Yukari knew she was still under surveillance from the police, though Kurosawa was trying to covertly turn their attention from her. They'd questioned her repeatedly concerning Mitsuru's whereabouts, and Yukari had lied, comforted by how heartless her voice sounded. She could lie without crying. Nothing related to Personas would go on record. Wouldn't Mitsuru be proud?

Impossible to know.

The Kirijo Group, already fragmented, was in turmoil as different individuals struggled to take control. It didn't matter who got it in the end. Mitsuru's branch of the Kirijo family was now dead. Everything her grandfather had done, the creation of Tartarus and its Personas, was at an end.

Perhaps.

She'd seen little of the others, though both Junpei and Akihiko also lived in Port Island. Fuuka had said something about Chidori answering Junpei's long absence by refusing to let him in the house, and last year, Yukari would've loved that. Fuuka had called several times, asking if she wanted to meet up (in a tone that wondered _Are you taking this okay, do you need to talk, I really want to talk about what's happened_). Yukari'd been evasive, and Fuuka must have said something, because Junpei called - which he almost never did - and that was somehow harder, because he'd ended up saying all those things outright. Concern was worse than all the barbs they'd used in their school days. The most Yukari could offer was a brusque "Sure, yeah, I'll call sometime." Part of her knew she'd want them with her someday, perhaps soon.

Akihiko she hadn't heard from. There was no explanation he could make to the police, and his only option was to disappear. _Good riddance,_ she thought sometimes, and other times, _We have to find him again some day._

Those - _others_ - hadn't intruded, but she felt too bleak even to be grateful for that. Who were they anyway, feeling upset...that blond boy crying when someone said Aigis' name, the black-haired girl trying to tend to Akihiko's burns. Who was Seta, that he might have killed Mitsuru at the end?

They'd had no right, either to interfere or to grieve. Yukari was grateful it didn't seem to matter now. It would some day, everything would matter again, and it might be too soon.

She stood on the dormitory's steps, heedless of passersby, staring up at the door. She didn't know if it was still unlocked. She had no intention of finding out. She bent and placed a cluster of pink carnations on the first step. She didn't know if Mitsuru and Aigis had had favorite flowers, but they were Yukari's favorite, and she hoped that would be good enough.

They never found Mitsuru's body. Perhaps... She shook her head. Mitsuru had died fractured and enslaved. Better to hope that she'd somehow been reunited with Artemisia in her death, made human once again, free from Elysion.

She felt Akihiko's stare on the back of her neck. She didn't need to turn to know that it was him. She could imagine him standing on the other side of the street, unwilling to come any closer and unwilling to keep away.

Yukari straightened and looked over her shoulder. Akihiko's head was tipped back, regarding the dormitory's highest row of windows, the surveillance room where Mitsuru had so often gone alone to train her Persona. He didn't move as pedestrians walked around him, some throwing him curious looks, then following the line of his sight to the dorm, down to Yukari and the flowers. No one stopped to watch.

Akihiko shook himself, his gaze dropping to her. He didn't smile, but he bent his elbow, a gesture similar to holding an Evoker. He opened his palm in a motionless wave, then let his hand fall back to his side as he turned and walked quickly away, leaving the street with its vanished Nyx graffiti, the sidewalks that had once been dark with Shadows and motionless coffins, the dormitory. If only for now.

* * *

_4.27.16_

He didn't immediately look up when the door to the shop slid open, bringing the scent and sound of a cold downpour. But he recognized Naoto by the rhythm of her walk, and he lifted his face just as she reached the counter, the mostly-finished glove flopping to his lap.

"Good morning," Naoto said. "I was in town, so I thought I'd...drop by."

Kanji was surprised, though he'd known she'd be in Inaba. She'd told Shirogane she'd be coming home for her twenty-first birthday, and he'd casually let this information fall to Rise and Yosuke, who had set the plans of a surprise birthday party in motion. According to the timetable, she was going to have dinner with her grandfather, then he'd make an excuse for her to go to the Amagi Inn where all her friends were going to leap out from behind the front desk and make her faint with shock - or reflexively shoot them, one or the other. Kanji quickly stopped thinking about it, irrationally wondering if she'd be able to read the entire plot in his face.

He cleared his throat and floundered for something to say, easing the small leather glove into the counter's shadow, out of her sight. He'd been working on the pair all week. "How's the town look?"

"The same." A brief smile broke over her features. "That's why I love Inaba. Even after everything that's happened, it all...realigns itself to normalcy. I feel sorry for Yukiko-senpai though. I thought her mother would've released her from home arrest by now." She flinched, looking guilty for a moment. "And Chie got her job back. Did Dojima-san have a hand in that?"

"Yeah. Everything seems okay." He shrugged. "The college professors may hold our senpai back a semester though, too many missed classes and exams. Maybe. I hear Souji-senpai's been helping one of them get over his alcohol addiction, so maybe he can pull some strings."

Naoto nodded. It was warm in the textile shop, the many splashes of rain on her coat fading. Smaller drops glittered in her short hair, melting into runnels down her temples. She'd kept her hands in her pockets before, but as she freed one to pull her hair out of her face, Kanji thought it looked clammy. He rubbed the embroidered initials on the back of the glove and wished he had the courage to invite her to sit with him for a while. It was raining. Business would be slow today. He could give her her birthday present early and be certain they'd fit before he finished all the stitching. Though he was already sure.

Naoto sighed. "It's so commonplace. It's like we cope by forgetting everything that's happened."

"We're alive, ain't we?" Kanji asked. "We got plenty of time to remember it when we need to." She gave him a sharp look, then grimaced. He smirked, tentatively. "Don't be mad just 'cause I'm the one who's right."

She freed her hand again to rub the thin bridge of her nose. (Definitely clammy; he wanted to breathe on her fingers to warm them, but he was smarter than that.) "I've been thinking about it so much. It's hard to forget." She burrowed her hand back into her pocket. "There was so many times I thought I wouldn't live to see twenty one. I put us in so much danger..."

"Really pisses me off how you take credit for everything. It's like you think none of us can get into trouble on our own." He was rewarded by the sound of her laugh - and while there was something sharp about it, it was spontaneous and genuine.

"I'm glad you're not Rise," Naoto said, smiling, closing her eyes. "She'd be vexed if she heard me go on like this. And no one pesters like Rise-chan."

"She'll probably tear you a new one - when she sees you again," Kanji amended hastily. He'd nearly said _tonight_. "If you don't look happy enough for her."

"Hm." Naoto's expression hadn't changed; she looked wonderfully content. Presently, she opened her eyes, a shade of seriousness in her face, and though she tried to keep smiling, it faltered. "I want to thank you, Kanji-kun. You took good care of me back - there." Kanji didn't ask which _there_ she meant: the battle against Kronos, carrying her halfway across Elysion, the escape from Yakushima, the moment he'd hauled a chair at the gang of ghosts who were chasing her down Inaba's streets. Her voice picked up, both in speed and pitch. "I know I'm not always grateful in the heat of the moment. So I wanted to tell you." She glanced to the side and changed tact. "One thing I do miss is this." She lifted her palm but no card appeared. "I know they don't leave us - not without-" She left Kronos' name unsaid. "But I still feel lonely when I can't call him out whenever I want to."

"There's always the TV World," Kanji said. "We can barge in on there whenever we want. Evoke the hell out of 'em. Have a grudge match."

"We should," she said thoughtfully, looking at the counter, not him. "Maybe some time, we could meet there." She glanced up, then away. "I want to see all of you more often. I don't want to stay away, and I want us to be together as long as..." She didn't mention Kirijo or her friends, how their tight bond of friendship had twisted cruelly upon them, become the death of three of them. How it could have happened to themselves, how they might have responded no better. "...as long as possible."

Kanji swallowed; he had no clue what to say. On impulse, he reached above the counter and held out his hand. He expected the surprised jump in her eyebrows, the confused glance into his face. He didn't blame her. In her shoes, he wouldn't have known what to do either. Looking away, he took her cold hand, squeezed her fingers, then released her, dropping his hand into his lap. Glancing up for the briefest moment, he saw how wide her eyes had gone. Okay. Maybe his gesture had communicated a small portion of his thoughts. Shit, was that what he wanted?

In a moment, he was able to look up again and her face had settled back into its characteristic calmness. "It, uh-" he cleared his throat "-it looks like it's letting up."

She glanced back to the storefront. If anything, the rain had gotten heavier, but she smiled. "Are you insulting me with hints, Kanji-kun?"

"Huh? No, I - I wasn't telling you to leave!"

"I probably should get going. I'm spending the day with Grampa. But I'll be sure to see you again, before I leave. If I leave. I may go on a short sabbatical..." Realizing she was rambling, she gave him a wry look. "So I'll go now. Thank you, Kanji-kun."

"Yeah," Kanji said. "See you." And because he refused to watch her as she turned to leave, he bent over his work again, finding the needle, tucking it into the supple black leather, meticulously sewing two halves together.

And looked up again once he heard the door close. Naoto was crossing the street at a jog, hand on her hat, rain sheeting around her, obscuring the window pane. He watched until her figure became a streaming dark blur, then looked down at the glove, running his thumb over its soft palm. Then smiled as he continued his work.


End file.
